


Curse of Darkshire Manor

by TheShatteredRose



Series: Cease the Suffering [5]
Category: Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard, Etrian Odyssey Series
Genre: All Male Cast, Guys in Distress, M/M, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-10-13 11:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10512474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShatteredRose/pseuds/TheShatteredRose
Summary: Six members of the Guardians find themselves trapped in a strange placed called Darkshire Manor. Why are they there? Who is the one responsible for their capture? They need to learn the answers, and fast, for its Axel’s life that is on the line…





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promised this aaaaages ago. I’m going to get straight into the fun. No slow build up. Just straight into the suspense and mystery :3 You’ll learn gradually what’s happening to the characters along with them. Not entirely sure this fits into the CtS universe, but it’s in there somewhere. I also just wanted to write more about my favourite genre. Now, without a further ado, enjoy!

Axel’s head was positively pounding. He could hear, just about feel his pulse in his ears. He also felt…heavy, achy. As if moving would be too much of an effort. But he also wanted to move because whatever the hell he was lying on was not remotely comfortable.

What happened? Did he fall asleep somewhere? No, that didn’t sound right.

Uttering a groan, Axel tried to lift his arm to run a hand down his face in an attempt to wake himself up further when he realised that he couldn’t move his arm. Something tight was around his wrist. Both of his wrists. And pulled above his head.

His arms were being restrained?

His eyes snapping open, Axel tilted his head back to look up at his hands and realised swiftly that he had metal shackles around both wrists, heavy duty chains anchoring them somewhere, out of his sight.

Axel tugged at his restraints as he hastily turned his attention to his surroundings.

He was…lying on a stone altar of some kind, restrained there with chains. There was another altar situated a few feet away from him, one that held a strange suit of armour. The both of them in the centre of a spacious indoor area. It was so dark, only a few candles scattered about the area offered any illumination. But what he could see, he didn’t like. At all.

Chains lined the wall. Chalk etchings covered the stone floor. Black wax candles upon every nook and cranny.

What the fuck?! What the hell happened?

The last thing he remembered was being at the inn. In the tea room. Lynus, Jhon, Tobyn, Macerio, and Magnus were there with him. They were sitting around the fire place talking about…something. What was it? Something about a strange theft.

Armour. Right. A suit of armour had been stolen from the Duke’s estate. Along with a gemstone of some kind. A quartz? Lynus was telling them what the stone meant when there was a sound. The sound of…glass breaking?

Yeah. Something came in through the window. He remembered Lynus yelling something. Something about…sleeping gas.

_Shit._

“Ah, our guest is finally awake.”

Axel snapped his head to the side in time to watch as a man, probably in his late forties and dressed in long, grey robes, stroll all too casually over to him. His hair was also dull grey and slicked back, his skin ungodly pale, and his eyes were both piercing but somehow hollow.

But what caught Axel’s attention the most was the grin on his lips; smug, predatory…damn near evil.

“Who the hell are you?” Axel asked tersely as he tugged fruitlessly at his restraints.

“Lord Ronaldo, master of Darkshire Manor” the man introduced himself with a mocking bow before he straightened and folded his arms behind his back. “And you’re Axel from the Guardian Guild. I'm such a big fan.”

Axel snorted to hide his apprehension. “Yeah, I can feel the love alright.”

The man, Ronaldo, grinned at him. “Oh, you will.”

Axel…didn’t like that hint of perverted glee in the asshole’s voice. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Like it?” Ronaldo unexpectedly asked him as he took a step back and motioned to the large chamber around him, his arms out from his sides as he all but _twirled_ around the area obnoxiously. “It took me quite a few years to craft this room to my liking. The perfect place to practice my craft, don't you think?”

“Craft?” Axel questioned as a feeling of unease appeared in the pit of his stomach. “As in black magic?”

Ronaldo looked simultaneously pleased and annoyed by Axel’s assumption. “Exactly,” he said instead.

“…Why am I here?” Axel found himself asking.

The grin Ronaldo’s lips grew more…sinister. “Oh, I'm pretty sure you've figured it out already.”

Yeah, well, it wasn’t exactly hard for him not to jump to conclusions. The altar, the chalk etchings, the candles; it certainly wasn’t a fucking surprise birthday party.

“A ritual, huh?” Axel muttered as he glanced around the chamber, masking his fear with irritation. “And I'm the sacrifice?”

“Yes, to the first question,” Ronaldo said as he all but _skipped_ merrily over to the second altar, the one that held that large suit of armour, to which he abruptly leaned against with his elbow. “And not exactly to the second. You're more akin to a...vessel, I suppose.”

“A vessel?”

Ronaldo continued to give him that sinister grin as he tapped his fingers upon the armour. “Thing is, I kinda need your full cooperation and submission.”

“I'll save you the hassle by telling you you're not going to get either,” Axel snarled as he pulled at the chains on his wrists.

“Oh, I know,” Ronaldo unexpectedly replied as he pushed away from the armour and made his way toward Axel. He then abruptly slammed his hand against the altar next to Axel’s head, causing him to unwillingly wince and roll his head away to the side.

“I plan on it,” Ronaldo sneered with a wicked grin, causing Axel’s stomach to tense from the apprehension and disgust as he leaned his face closer to his. “I think this is going to be...fun. Birds can’t fly without wings. And landsknechts can't fight without their strength.”

Despite the knot of fear in his chest, Axel glared defiantly up at him. “Where are the others?” he demanded. “I know they’re here.”

“Right you are,” Ronaldo unexpectedly answered. “They are here. Separated and confined to their own little prisons, but here nonetheless.”

A bubble of protective anger abruptly replaced the knot of dread in Axel’s chest and he pulled harder at his restraints. “If you’ve hurt any of them-”

Ronaldo silenced him by suddenly placing a hand over his mouth, the cold, clammy skin causing Axel to physically grimace. “Oh, I haven’t touched them,” he said before his grin grew more menacing, if that was at all possible. “Not yet.”

Axel abruptly rolled his head to the side in an attempt to dislodge Ronaldo’s hand from his mouth. “Don’t you fucking dare!” he spat at him the second he was able to.

Ronaldo, however, did not look even remotely perturbed. “Speaking of which,” he said as he pulled back. “I'm just going to pop out and visit the rest of my guests.”

“What are you going to do with them?” Axel demanded as he man turned to walk away, his arms folded behind his back.

“Nothing at the moment,” Ronaldo answered as he waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. “I’m just going to make sure that they are rightly terrified of me. That’s all.”

As the man disappeared into the inky blackness of the shadows, Axel immediately began to pull at his restraints, yet he couldn’t get free. Something was preventing him from using his strength. The way he was restrained, on his back upon an altar? Were the chains themselves cursed to prevent him from breaking them? Or were the chalk drawings on the ground somehow to blame?

Shit. Lynus…he was a captive again? No, he couldn’t let that happen! He had to get to him. And the others.

Somehow.

… … … … …

Lynus felt nauseously dizzy when he opened his eyes. He blinked up at the ceiling as he touched his head with his hand. It took him a moment or two to realise that the roof above his head was not familiar. He wasn’t in his room. He wasn’t…anywhere he recognised.

Despite the way the blood pumped loudly in his ears, Lynus sat up abruptly and skittishly looked around. He was in a room, again one he most certainly did not recognise. A single bed, a dresser, a chair…and not much else. But the windows were…

Covered in steel bars…

Oh god, no…

Trying desperately not to panic and allow for old memories to resurface, Lynus scrambled from the bed and hastily looked around him once more. Was he alone? What happened? How did he get here?

His last memory was at the inn. He was in the tea room with others, with Axel. They were talking about something. He was telling them something about a crystal. A red quartz? He…it was him, Axel, Magnus, Macerio, Jhon, and Tobyn. Just them. Hamza was at the Grand Duchy. Shen at the weapon shop and Chi-hung was prowling at the inn because…something was stolen. Lirit was speaking with Cedric and Rahas was with…guild Cosmos?

He…couldn’t remember anything else. It was too fuzzy.

Reassured that there was literally no one else in the room, he turned his attention to the door. Slowly, he approached it. He was hesitant to let anyone know that he was awake, but he also wanted some idea to what was going on. And who could be behind it all.

And, more importantly, why? Surely, it was just…a misunderstanding?

Though…Lynus wasn’t naïve enough to believe that.

“I-is there anyone out there?” he stuttered fearfully.

At first, there was no response. But then the sound of a lock being disengaged caused Lynus to take a couple of steps backwards, resisting the urge to literally scurry away when the door abruptly opened.

However, he found himself hastily stumbling back when a man with grey hair and dressed in grey robes abruptly entered the room. The man’s appearance was not familiar in any way, shape or form, but his aura…his presence…

That man shouldn’t be alive…? W-was he a hexer?

“I must admit, I’m surprised,” the man said as he fearlessly, and rather arrogantly, walked deeper into the room. “You’re one of the first to awaken.”

Lynus kept backing away until the back of his knees hit the side of the bed and he fell back onto it. “W-who are you?”

The man granted him an ominous grin. “I am known as Lord Ronaldo.”

“Where are the others?” Lynus asked as he pushed himself across the bed, his back hitting the wall next to it. “Why are we here?”

“Medics,” the man suddenly sighed in a purely mocking way. “Always full of questions, aren’t you? Have you been sleeping well? Have you been taking care of your diet? Have you indigested anything poisonous lately? I really should have you gagged.”

Lynus winced and pushed himself back further against the wall behind him, opting to stay silent for the moment.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Ronaldo asked in a rather cheerful but still sinister manner before he lifted his leg and planted his foot harshly onto the mattress of the bed and leaned against his knee. “It’s not like you’re a threat to me. To anyone for that matter. Those scrawny little arms. Those large violet eyes. You don't have what it takes to kill a man.”

Lynus winced again as he peered up at the man. “Don't be so sure…”

“Oh?” Ronaldo murmured as he leaned forward, a mockingly interested expression on his face. “Really now?”

Lynus didn’t reply. He just…looked at him.

Ronaldo suddenly clicked his tongue in annoyance as he straightened himself up and pushed away from the bed. “Ah, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see, yes?” he said as he turned around abruptly and headed for the door. “Should make things interesting. Do make yourself comfortable. You won’t be leaving this room for a while. Maybe never.”

At the sound of the door slamming shut and a lock sliding into place, Lynus wrapped his arms around himself and doubled forward, his breathing becoming erratic. He stared at the floor in front of him with unblinking eyes as his body trembled from memories he wished he could supress.

Again. He was being held hostage by a deranged lord again. He couldn’t…he couldn’t go through that again. No…

A tingling sensation running up his spine pulled Lynus out of his fear induced thoughts and he snapped his head up, his eyes wide as he stared forward. That feeling. He could…sense the others. He could feel their fear. They were trapped, too. He wasn’t alone.

Axel. Magnus. Tobyn. Macerio. Jhon. They were all…there with him. He could feel them all.

…What was he doing? He didn't have the time to sit and wallow in fear and self-pity. He had the others to look after. He needed to get out and find them. They didn’t know how to handle being held captive like he did. And…he wasn’t going to be the passive captive this time, either. He wasn’t going to let anyone go through what he had to experience.

Lynus began to pace the room, pushing aside his fear and instead concentrating on what he knew and what he could eventually do.

He hazards a guess that the others were being held in rooms of their own. Restrained, no doubt. Those they deem as the greatest threat would be experiencing the most suffering. And since he was a medic - a simple, skinny medic - they saw his threat level as low. So…that probably meant that they won’t be checking up on him very often.

They always underestimated the medic. And that was fine. Lynus had learnt a thing or two during his freedom. For example, the architecture of his surroundings divulged to him that he was in a large building. A manor house. And he knew from past experiences that manor houses such as this had secret nooks and crannies. Maybe even a servants’ passageway

Ok, good. That was a start.

Come hell or high water, he was getting out. And he was going to take everyone with him.

He immediately began to inspect the walls of his prison with his eyes. The sight of a large oil-based painting of a gypsy caravan caught his attention. Mostly because it was off centre, leaning to one side.

Slowly, he approached the painting and deftly brushed his fingertips across the wooden frame. He quickly jumped back, though, when something suddenly fell out from behind the painting, landing on the floor with a soft thud.

Lynus immediately looked down at the object and felt his brow furrow with confusion. A book? Why was it hidden behind the painting?

Despite the severity of his situation, Lynus found himself dropping to his knees and gathering the book into his hands. He then flipped it book open cautiously. He soon realised that the book was actually a journal and the date at the top of the page marked it as…over a hundred years ago? But it was also been torn in several places, pages ripped out in a hurry for whatever reason.

He found himself reading the words on the very first page of the book.

_What good is a landsknecht without his strength? A mysterious illness has claimed my strength and abilities. I am worthless as an explorer. I am so grateful to Lord Ronaldo for allowing me to seek refuge at his mansion. He also promised to find out the cause to my sudden ailing health. There is no one in this town for me to turn to. No one has the time of day for a landsknecht without physical strength. Lord Ronaldo is truly kind._

Lord Ronaldo? Was the author of this book speaking of the same man that Lynus had just unwillingly met? No, it had to be the man’s son or grandson.

Lynus glanced down at the signature at the bottom of the page and made out the name Lionel before he turned to the next page. But he realised that there was meant to be several pages before it. And the date at the top of the new page told him that a month had passed since the first journal entry.

_I’m not sure what is happening to me. It takes so much energy to sit and write in my journal. But I must write this down, for whoever should find it; I hope you are of kind heart. Behind the dresser in the far corner. Look there for freedom._

Lynus immediately turned to look, his gaze immediately falling on the only other piece of furniture in the room. The dresser the journal must mean was the one in the far corner of the room, near the window. It was only half the size of a usual dresser, but it appeared old, as if it hadn’t been touched in years.

Hopefully the journal was right. And hopefully Lynus would be able to push it aside for him to make his escape.

But…why? What prompted this man to search for a way out? What happened during that month of missing journal entries?

Turning his attention back to the torn journal in his hands, he noticed that there was one page left. The words written there were shaky; falling from the lines, as if the hand that was writing it was so tired. Or frightened. Lynus almost didn’t want to read what was written, but he…just had to.

_I wish I had never learnt of the truth. It is too late for me. I can only hope that Ronaldo does not choose another victim in my place. If you are reading this and you are kind, please…stop him. Do what I could not do._

Slowly, Lynus closed the book. He allowed the words to mull around in his head for a moment. He could feel the man’s pain and fear through the words.

His scrawl…was similar to the one that Lynus had developed himself when he was under the captive demand of Taksony. Short, terse, shaky. Written with a trembling hand, eyes skittishly darting around to his surroundings, hoping and praying that no one was there to read what they had just wrote…

But…he escaped. This man, this Lionel, did not. Could not.

Lynus shook his head to turn his focus back to the task at hand. He placed the small book within his coat, more out of habit than anything. Also, if nothing else, he could use it to smack someone over the head with it. A weapon was a weapon, right?

As he stood up, he looked around the room with a more critical, cautionary gaze. He quietly made his way over to the dresser and placed his hands atop it, testing it for a moment. It didn’t feel all that heavy and with the quick opening of the top draw, he was relieved to find it empty. Saved for a few mothballs, that was.

Now, the trick was pushing it aside without making a sound. He would have to do it slowly.

Lynus positioned himself to the side of the dresser and placed his hands against it. Slowly, he pushed against it with what strength he had. And slowly, inch at a time, the dresser moved. And when it moved enough, he saw that it had indeed been hiding something. A small, half door in the wall. That…must be an entrance from the servant’s quarters! The journal was right. A little bit more and he should be able to squeeze his way through.

Hopefully it wasn’t locked on the other side.

After he managed to wrangle the dresser aside enough for him, Lynus crouched down in front of the door and unconsciously held his breath as he placed his hand against the wooden panel and pushed.

And…it opened!

Releasing a soft, shaky breath of relief, Lynus stood up and found his gaze skittishly inspecting his surroundings once more. Hopefully he hadn’t made too much noise.

Noticing a wooden chair, Lynus grabbed it and propped it up against the door. It was locked from the outside, sure, but the chair should give them a bit of trouble if and when they try to re-enter the room.

He then turned to open the window, trying to do it as quietly as possible. They thought of him as ‘scrawny’, so hopefully they would assume that he was scrawny enough to slip through the bars (never mind the fact that be probably could).

With their attention outside, that should give him time to navigate the servants’ passageways.

Pushing the door open fully, Lynus stepped through and closed the door behind him. He had to take a minute or so to allow his eyes to adjust to the dark. The narrow passageway smelt dusty and there appeared to be old spider webs on the walls and ceiling. Obviously, they hadn’t been used in years.

It was lucky that he wasn’t terrified of small, enclosed spaces. The walls weren’t exactly thin, but they weren’t stone thick either. He had to make double sure to be as quiet as possible. Who knows what they would do to him if they caught him in this tight crawlspace. Getting recaptured would do no one any good. He couldn’t afford to be careless.

Running his hand along the small door he just stepped through, Lynus jumped slightly when he fingers brushed over something metal and cold. Despite the way his heartrate increased, he carefully inspected the unusual item and felt a slight sense of relief upon realising that it was actually a lock.

Good. He’d lock it, too. If they manage to realise that he had escaped through the servant’s quarters, maybe the lock would be a minor hindrance to them. Even a second of distraction was better than none.

With a hand on each wall, Lynus carefully navigated the passageway, taking each step slowly. He ignored the spider webs the best he could and looked for tell-tale signs of light. Pinpricks of light that will indicate another opening. He was certain that these passageways led to more than one room. Hopefully, one of the others was being contained in one of those rooms. In fact…he could sense someone close by.

He needed to get to them as quickly as possible.

For their sake as well as his own.


	2. Chapter 2

Axel felt…strange. Like he was off balance in some way. His limbs, his body, felt heavy and sluggish. And his mind felt foggy. It was as if something was draining his energy somehow. Taking it away from him.

That bastard was doing something to him. He was taking away his energy, his strength. How? Was it from the etchings on the ground? Had he injected him with something? Was a spell he had cast himself?

“Comfortable?” a voice suddenly asked him.

Axel winced slightly as he rolled his head to the side, still unconsciously pulling at the shackles around his wrists as he glared up at the haunting man. “What do you think?”

Ronaldo strolled into the room, much like he had done previously. “You appear to get snappy when you’re irritable,” he said as he paused near the altar Axel was chained upon and rested his hand casually near his side. “Or maybe it’s a defensive mechanism for when you are feeling weak?”

There was a slight tone of triumphant in his voice. So…that bastard was doing something to him.

“What are you doing to me?”

“Curses,” Ronaldo supplied readily, that smirk of his turning more conceited and chilling. “Sapping. Frailty. Decreases your strength and resistance. Or, rather, a personal rendition of said curses.”

He then unexpectedly purred as he reached over to stroke the side of Axel’s face with the back of his hand. “You're as weak as a newborn babe.”

His stomach clenching from nausea, Axel grimaced and abruptly turned his head away from that cold, pale hand. “What? Couldn’t face me honestly?”

Ronaldo looked positively thrilled with Axel’s reaction. “No, not at all. You could easily beat the living shit out of me. That is exactly why I am doing this. It's more fun this way.”

Axel wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that. He honestly wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of such a predatory look. “Are you always like this or is today a special occasion?”

“I just love your sass,” Ronaldo said as he lifted his hand, and to Axel’s absolute horror, trailed a fingertip over his throat and to the collar of his shirt. “I'm actually in two minds about completing this ritual. I think you would make a lovely pet.”

Axel grimaced at the touch once again. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

“Don’t get so worked up,” Ronaldo suddenly chided him as he mercifully pulled his hand back and straightened his posture. “We still have a few more things to do.”

Axel suppressed the need to sigh with relief as the man turned away from him. He found him nauseating, and unfortunately intimidating. While he was willing to let Ronaldo know that he absolutely disgusted him, he was unwilling to let him know just how much his presence, his touch, made him fearful.

Didn’t want him to know that he actually…frightened him.

Axel rolled his head to the side as he watched Ronaldo pause near the other altar, to seemingly dust off some cobwebs from that strange suit of armour. “That armour is from the Grand Duchy, isn’t it?” he abruptly asked him.

“Ah, indeed,” Ronaldo answered as he trailed a fingertip over the red coloured crystal situated at the head of the armour. “This will soon be your new home.”

New home? That meant…

“It’s a shame when things, when people, go too soon, isn’t it?” Ronaldo unexpectedly mused aloud. “But it doesn't have to be this way. I can change that.” He suddenly turned his attention back to Axel. “We can change that. Don't you want to be a part of something magnificent?”

“A part of what?” Axel snapped in response. “You're going to kill me.”

“Yes, but for a great cause,” Ronaldo insisted with a grin as he made his way back toward Axel and stopped by his head. He placed his hands on either side of Axel’s bound wrists and leaned over him. “It’s not nearly as bad as it sounds, Darling.”

Oh, he was pretty sure it was. “Don't call me that.”

Ronaldo leered at him with that sinister grin for a few moments longer before he pushed away and turned toward the armour once more. “Dear, beloved,” he practically cooed. “Soon we'll be together again. And I’m never letting you go.”

“I'm pretty sure their spirit is quaking with fear right now,” Axel muttered.

Ronaldo abruptly turned around to face him, his eyes wide and his lips pulled back into a feral snarl. He looked…insane. “Don't you dare think you can speak for my beloved’s behalf!” he snarled before he lunged forward and snared Axel harshly around his throat, dangerously cutting off his air supply.

Axel squeezed his eyes shut and unwilling arched his back off of the altar. He pulled harshly at his restraints, all but withering beneath the man’s hold as he tried to desperately to breathe again. “Hng.”

“Heh,” Ronaldo suddenly sniggered, his hold lessening a little. “All this wiggling and squirming. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”

“Not on your life,” Axel managed to wheeze.

“Not on your life, more like it,” Ronaldo said as he released his hold on his throat, watching with a sense of sadistic glee as Axel spluttered and cough to get air back into his lungs. “Don’t worry, I can wait. I’ve waited years for this moment. Time is approaching, though. I’m looking forward to it.”

Ronaldo then disappeared back into the shadows, leaving Axel alone once more.

… … … … …

Tobyn felt a strange, gnawing sense of tension and distress in the back of his mind, urging him to wake up. To get up. To anticipate trouble. To anticipate danger. And yet he felt tired, sluggish. As if incapable of moving.

Despite the effort it took, he managed to open his eyes and found his blurry gaze fixating on a wall covered in faded yellow wallpaper. A feature he did not recognise. And it immediately caused the low sense of tension to peak considerably and he snapped his eyes open fully, attempting to sit up.

But he was being impeded somehow. His arms were pinned behind his back, his wrists together and bound in something thick and coarse, wrapped painfully tight. As if to ensure he would not be able to pull himself free. And it wasn’t just his arms that were being incapacitated; his legs were also, at his ankles and his knees.

Lifting his head up, he looked over at himself and realised with a sense of dread and fear that he was lying on a bed in a room he didn’t recognised, and was bound tightly with rope. Thick rope. Wound tightly around him in such a way that prevented even the smallest of movements.

That didn’t stop him from immediately struggling.

What the living fuck was going on? What happened? Where was he?

As he desperately twisted and tugged at the bindings around his wrists, Tobyn tried to think back to what happened. He remembered being at the inn and in the tea room with a few others of his guild. He remembered teasing Macerio about a set of armour going missing and the only way for it to have happened was for the armour to walk out itself. He remembered Jhon chiding him a bit. And he remembered Lynus telling them something about a crystal. A red quartz. About it being able to capture energy. A vessel to entrap a spirit?

But then…the smell of sleeping gas following the sound of breaking glass.

No fucking way. Did someone throw a bottle of sleeping gas into the tea room, knocking them all out?

Where were the others? Had Jhon and Axel been taken, too? How could the two of them be subdued? Fuck, they would have had to been knocked out cold for either of them to ‘allow’ this to occur. What about Lynus, Magnus, Macerio? They were in the tea room, too. He remembered them being there.

The sound of a door opening pulled Tobyn from his frantic thoughts and he immediately turned his attention to it. He felt a deep scowl appear on his face when a man dressed in long grey robes step into the room, his eyes piercing as he peered down at him with a haughty upturn of his chin.

“Well, awake and struggling already,” the man said with a smirk. “How typical of a survivalist.”

“Who the hell are you?” Tobyn immediately bit out as he continued to struggle.

“Me?” the man returned as he tilted his head to the side slightly before straightening and releasing a rather indignant yet mocking scoff. “Well, since you asked so nicely, my name is Lord Ronaldo. And it would be of your best interest if you refer to me as such.”

The name Ronaldo twigged a sense of recognition in the back of Tobyn’s mind, but he ignored it. “Oh, if you care so much about my best interest, then remove these fucking ropes,” he hissed in response.

Ronaldo’s smirk turned unexpectedly more sinister, though his eyes held a glint of anger. “That’s quite a fearsome expression you are wearing. Pity you don’t have the skill or strength to back it up.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Tobyn snapped in response as he tried to sit up, his anger masking his fear. “Where are the others? What are you planning?”

Ronaldo suddenly lashed out with his foot, kicking the edge of the bed harshly, causing Tobyn to wince and fall back onto his side. “You ask as many questions as that scrawny medic,” he snarled at him, his eyes more piercing than before. “Everyone is alive, if that is what you are asking. For now, at least.”

Though the man’s gaze and smirk was sinister and frightening, Tobyn absolutely refused to let this Ronaldo know that he was intimidated by him. “For your own sake, they had better stay that way.”

The corner of Ronaldo’s left eye twitched and he gave a low, threatening chuckle. “Heh, my sake? Survivalists like you are hardly a threat. The strength of your arrows are weak at best. And outside the labyrinth, you're worthless.”

...That bastard. Once Tobyn got out of his restraints, he was going to fucking murder him.

Ronaldo suddenly pushed away from the bed and stalked out of the room. “I won't waste any more of my time with you.”

“Go fuck yourself, you stupid bastard,” Tobyn spat out as he increased his struggling.

He was inwardly grateful that the bastard had stalked out and the sound of the door slamming shut was actually somewhat reassuring. He wouldn’t have been able to do anything with a vulture like that hovering close by.

Now…he needed to find a way out of these fucking ropes!

Twisting slightly on the bed, Tobyn tried to edge his feet closer to his hands. Any decent survivalist kept a knife hidden in their boot. A flick knife. Sometimes one in each. Hopefully, when the bastards were securing him, they didn’t find the knife.

He hoped the others were all right. Jhon, Macerio, Lynus, Axel, Magnus…were they in the same condition as him? Was that arrogant bastard restraining them, too? Fuck, Jhon and Axel were probably experiencing the worse of the restraints. They would have to be; those two would have torn this god forsaken shithole to the ground if they weren’t. Wait, shit, what about Macerio? Was he alone? Did he think that he was alone? What about Magnus? He’d be freaking out, so they must be retraining him, too. Lynus? H-he had already been a captive to a lord once before!

The sudden sound of something being moved behind him caused Tobyn to tense and tilt his head back to look at the far corner of the room. To his surprise and apprehension, part of the wall seemed to be moving. At if there was actually a door there, hidden within the gaudy looking wall paper.

Slowly, it creaked open and Tobyn felt his heartrate increase substantial. He hadn’t the faintest idea what could be hiding within the walls of this shit-hole, but he was in no state to defend himself yet alone fight back.

However, the person he saw crouched behind the section of the wall startled him greatly.

“Lynus?” he spluttered when Lynus cautiously moved away from the opening in the wall. “How-?”

“Shh,” Lynus whispered as he held a finger to his lips, granting him a small smile that held a sense of unease to it. He quickly made his way toward him and began to inspect his bindings. “I've...been through this before. Let me get these ropes first.”

Tobyn was unable to prevent a small sigh of relief upon seeing Lynus, alive and unharmed. “Check my boot. I usually carry a knife in my boot.”

“Right,” Lynus said simply as he turned his attention to the ropes around his ankles. It took him a moment or two to loosen them enough to search within his boot. He finally made a soft sigh of relief when he pulled out the knife. He quickly flicked it open and started on the ropes binding his hands.

The second Tobyn was able to move his hands, he pulled them from behind them and sat up. As Lynus began to cut at the ropes around his arms, Tobyn leaned forward to pull out his other knife and quickly cut away the ropes around his ankles and knees.

As Tobyn hastily pulled off the rest of his bindings, he noticed Lynus pick up a piece of torn paper from the ground next to the bed. As he looked at it, a slight frown appeared on his lips and he shook his head slightly.

“How did you get here?” Tobyn asked as he grabbed the knife off of Lynus and slipped the both of them into the pockets of his clothing, within much easier access.

“Servant passageways,” Lynus explained as he indicated to the opening he had all but crawled out of it. “They haven’t been used in years, so it’s safe to assume they’ve forgotten about them.”

“Perfect,” Tobyn muttered as he glanced at the door to the room.

The bastard said he wasn’t going to waste any more of his time on him, but he could have just been having a fucking hissy fit for all he knew. He could turn up at any second. And the last thing Tobyn needed was for the bastard to spy them sneaking into the servant passageways, reminding him they were there.

“Hang on,” he muttered as he grabbed an old wooden chair and quickly barred it against the door. “That should slow them down a little. Let’s go.”

Lynus nodded his head as Tobyn placed his hand on his back and urged him toward the opening in the wall. He pushed Lynus in first for two reasons; he knew the hidden passageways a little better. And to ensure that if someone did happen to break down the door, they would spy Tobyn first, allowing for Lynus time to hide.

“How did you know this was here?” Tobyn asked as he moved to step into the darken passageway behind Lynus.

“I found a journal in my room,” Lynus told him. “The previous occupant had discovered it and wrote about it in their journal.”

Tobyn furrowed his brow. “Journal?”

Lynus nodded his head before he continued. “From a hundred years ago. Though many pages are missing. I did find one in your room, though, surprisingly.”

So that was what he was looking at in mild confusion. “What did it say?”

As Tobyn moved to close the door behind them, Lynus pulled the piece of paper from his pocket and read it quietly.

_I am finding myself becoming fearful of Lord Ronaldo. He spends all hours in his office and has made numerous trips to the basement at all times of the night. He barely has the time to visit me, though I found myself relieved from that._

…Lord Ronaldo? Were they talking of the same man?

Never mind that. They had more important things to contend with.

With a telling and somewhat satisfying click, the door fell back into place and plunged the two of them into total darkness. They both fell still as they took a moment to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

“Any idea where they’re keeping the others?” Tobyn asked softly as the two of them slowly began to navigate their way through the darkness.

“I can sense them close by,” Lynus whispered in response. “They’re all alive and unharmed.”

“Sense?” Tobyn asked, no more than a few inches directly behind Lynus, keeping the medic as close as possible without hindering his movements.

“It’s…hard to explain,” Lynus said as he lightly pressed his hand against the wall to move about without stumbling. “But since I developed the technique of inspecting a patient’s aura for abnormalities, I’ve been able to sense the presences of those I am close to. The most prominent is, obviously, Axel. But I can sense the others as well. Magnus, Macerio, Jhon. They’re here as well. No one else, though.”

Well, that would make finding them all easier. But…he did catch something in Lynus’ voice. It was subtle, but he sounded as if he was…

“You’re trembling,” Tobyn murmured as he reached out to place a hand gently atop of the medic’s shoulder. He frowned when he felt him tense underneath his touch.

“It’s…nothing, don’t worry,” Lynus murmured around a low, shaky sigh. “Just…memories.”

Tobyn immediately tightened his hand on Lynus’ shoulder, remembering what he had said earlier. He said he had gone through this before. He meant when he was a hostage. To a deranged lord. He had…

“It won’t be the same,” he said firmly.

“…I know,” Lynus whispered so softly. “I’m…just glad that Rahas and Lirit aren’t here as well.”

Yeah, that was a minor blessing, really. Who knows what Rahas would have done should he found himself in that situation again. Held captive. He could have done anything. He could have…put himself into jeopardy in desperation not to be a captive again. He had muttered once that he…would rather die than be a captive again.

“There’s an opening ahead.” Lynus’ voice pulled Tobyn from his musings. “I think it might lead into a hallway.”

If it did, perfect. That allowed them a better chance to look around and access how much shit they were really in.

Carefully, Tobyn pushed Lynus to the side as he turned his attention to the small pinpricks of light emanating from the wall. He took a moment to study it and was satisfied that it was indeed a door. And he…couldn’t hear anyone or anything on the other side.

Slowly, he pushed open the secret door just a fraction, allowing him to peek out and check before moving on. If he could assume anything, there were many rooms connecting to these servant passageways that it would difficult to tell where they were. He was grateful, somewhat at least, that this door led out into a hallway. Going from room to room would be risky.

Tobyn suddenly tensed out of habit when he heard the sound of footsteps, but he kept looking through the small crack in the door.

Another person suddenly came into view. It was someone dressed in grey robes, a hood pulled up and shadowing his face. A guard? They seemed to be pacing, either on guard or simply bored. But with the long spear they carried, Tobyn felt it was safe to assume that he was on patrol.

“There’s a guard coming,” Tobyn said to Lynus. “Those robes might come in handy.”

Lynus nodded his head before he unexpectedly pointed to his neck, his fingertips brushing over the curve of where his neck met his shoulder. At first, Tobyn wasn't entire sure what he was trying to communicate, but it soon dawned on him. The neck was the weak point.

Where he needed to aim.

Tobyn nodded his head once to signal that he understood and motioned with his hand for Lynus to stay hidden. No need to pull him into anything physical. And, honestly, Tobyn was pissed enough to do all the fighting himself anyway.

It wasn’t hard for Tobyn to sneak up behind the guard. Normally, he preferred the use of his bow and arrows. Hell, just the arrows were enough for him, jabbing one with sleeper into someone’s neck would soon render them unconscious.

But he was so utterly pissed right now that he would actually take minimal pleasure in beating someone senseless. And if it had to be one of these grey-robed guards things, then all the better.

Lifting his hand, Tobyn harshly chopped the guy on the neck, where Lynus had indicated. The guard went down immediately. Didn’t even have the chance to utter a grunt of pain or surprise. Just fell to the ground with a thud, their weapon promptly following.

Good.

Moving quickly, Tobyn leaned down and grabbed the guard by the arms and started to drag him toward where Lynus should still be hiding. There was a cupboard they could shove the guard in. Might be a bit cramped, but who gave a shit?

Before that, though, those robes just might come in handy.

Grabbing the robe by the hood, Tobyn roughly pulled it off of, the man underneath, seemingly no older than twenty, wore simple white clothing and that their skin was nearly as pale. Throwing the robe over his shoulder, Tobyn than proceeded to shove the guy into the closet. Although it was difficult manhandling a dead weight, he managed to do so, kicking the guy further in for good measure.

As he unceremoniously shut the cupboard doors, he turned to face Lynus, finding the medic inspecting the robes. "Where did you learn that?" he couldn't help but ask as he indicated to his own neck.

Lynus granted him a somewhat weary smile. "Dr Stiles isn't the head doctor for nothing. He knows how to subdue patients better than anyone."

Well...that would explain a lot.

"I'm too short for these robes," Lynus suddenly said, drawing Tobyn back to the severity of their situation. "But I think you're about the right size."

Tobyn nodded his head and took the robes from Lynus. Though he loathed touching anything these bastards wore, the robes would be useful for him to loiter around out in the open, avoiding suspicion. Or at least long enough for him to cause a disturbance so that Lynus could get to safety.

He could also shred the cloth and use it to choke someone if necessary.

“I can sense Macerio’s presence,” Lynus said as Tobyn pulled the hood up over his head. “He’s close by.”

“Right, he’s next,” Tobyn said as he carefully peered around the corner into the hall, and when he saw that the coast was clear, he signal for Lynus to follow him. “Let’s go.”

He picked up the spear as they hurried past. He didn’t know how to wield it skilfully, but he should at least put the fear in some of them. Honestly, with the mood he was in, that shouldn’t be too difficult.

He just hoped that the others were ok.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fortunately I had this written before the Easter break. So here it is. Hope you enjoy reading! And hope you have a wonderful Easter holiday!

Macerio was beyond terrified.

Honestly, who wouldn’t be if they were in his position? Waking up to find yourself tied to a wooden chair and locked in a room was the stuff of fucking nightmares.

The chair was old, but surprisingly sturdy, creaking only slightly as Macerio tugged desperately at his bindings. His arms were pulled harshly behind him, around the back of the chair. His wrists were bound with coarse rope that was rubbing painfully against the tender skin of his wrists. The ropes that were looped around his arms and chest, forcing him to sit upright in the chair, restricted his movements considerably.

Whoever had done this to him, for whatever reason, they wanted to ensure that he had absolutely no movement with his arms or hands.

Macerio gritted his teeth as he continued to struggle with his bindings, uncaring if he was hurting himself.

What the hell was going on? What happened? How did he get here? Why was he here? Just…what the fuck about everything!

The last thing he remembered was sitting on a couch in the tea room. Axel was on the chair next to him. There were others in the room. They were talking about something. About a strange occurrence. Lynus talked about a stone with Magnus while Axel talked about the sightings of weirdos in grey robes being seen. And he remembered musing something about going to look for Lirit as something didn’t feel right.

After that…he remembered feeling alarmed and suddenly very tired.

Something happened. A raid on the inn? How did that happen? Why did that happen? Who else was taken? He couldn’t be trapped here alone, could he?

“And you’re up struggling, too,” a voice Macerio had never heard before stated in a sadistically pleased manner. “Just like that survivalist.”

Macerio snapped his head up and looked at the doorway of his room/prison to see a man, rather tall, with unhealthy grey hair, sharp yet dead eyes, and pale skin. He was wearing a long robe that was also a shade of grey. A dark, rather ominous grey.

The man didn’t look remotely familiar in any way. Hadn’t even seen anyone closely or loosely resembling him either. From the sickly shade of greyish white of his skin, Macerio was pretty certain he would have done a double take if he had so make glanced at him from a distance.

Wait…survivalist? Did he mean Tobyn?!

“Are you behind this?” Macerio found himself asking as he tensed in his seat.

The man arched an eyebrow at him as he folded his hands into the sleeves of his robes. “I’m the mastermind, yes.”

Macerio bristled from both anger and fear. “Don’t take this the wrong way but who the fuck do you think you are?!”

The man’s eyes suddenly narrowed fearsomely and Macerio felt himself wince and sink back into his chair, instantly regretting his outburst.

“Talk to me like that again, and we’re going to have a few problems,” he said as he took a couple of steps forward to stand directly in front of him, to purposely tower over him in a highly intimidating manner.

“A-and this isn't a problem?” Macerio murmured meekly.

“Not for me it's not,” the sickly looking guy said as a smirk that was nothing short of sinister spread across his lips. “You should take a cue from that medic. He was quite submissive.”

Macerio felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. “W-what have you done to Lynus?”

The guy tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes boring intensely into Macerio’s. “That’s his name? I haven’t done anything. I didn’t need to, really. Too scrawny and meek for me.”

He had…had had better not have done anything or Axel, along with many others, would absolutely slaughter him!

“I like them feisty,” the man said as he suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Macerio roughly by the chin, forcing him to tilt his head back to look up at him.

Macerio grimaced at the man’s touch and felt his stomach tighten when he realised how sickly and deathly cold and unnatural the man’s hand felt. “W-what the hell is wrong with your hand? It’s so clammy.”

The guy’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “That’s awfully rude,” he said as he tightened his grip on Macerio’s chin, causing him to wince once more as pain appeared. Thankfully, after a short moment, he let him go and stood up.

“It would be best if you stay quiet now,” he said as he turned to leave the room. “In fact, I think I’ll ensure it.”

Macerio really didn’t like the sound of that. “W-what does that mean?”

The guy merely glanced over his shoulder at him to give him a smirk that was nothing less than cruel before he turned back around and made a swift motion with his hand. A mere second later someone else appeared, they too dressed in a cloth similar to that main guy, whatever the hell his name was. But they had a hood up, covering and shadowing a good part of their face. All he could see was a pointed chin and ghostly pale lips.

“Shit,” Macerio muttered when he realised that the new guy (or girl?) was focusing in on him and they had a fold of cloth in their hands.

They weren’t really going to-?

“Mmhf!” Macerio whimpered when they placed the cloth tightly over his mouth and tied it securely behind his head. He tried to shake it loose, to make it difficult for them, but they were purposely being rough, to bring him as much discomfort as possible.

“Much better,” the main guy said when the gagged was secured into place. “You’re much more attractive now. Though I prefer sparring with that landsknecht.”

Landsknecht? Did he mean Axel? Was Axel here, too? How?!

“I do hope you enjoy solitude,” the man continued as he signalled for everyone to leave the room. “You may be here for a while. On your own. Completely, utterly alone.”

Macerio felt utterly sick as the door to his prison slammed close, immediately plunging him into a dim light and far too quiet silence.

He just…sat there for a while, staring in disbelief at the door. He couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening. All he could think of was ‘why’. Why was this happening? Why him? Why them?

It was just too quiet. Too uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to do. The rope was biting into his wrists and seemed to be getting tighter the more he struggled. He probably should stop struggling then…but, honestly, how could he not? His arms ached from being stretched behind the chair and from the back of the chair cutting into his arms. His back also ached from being forced into a tense, tall posture. And his butt was going numb from constantly sitting.

He just…wished he knew what the hell was going on! Who were these people? What did they want with him and his guildmates?

Were…were the others ok? They had to be, right? They fought countless battles together in the labyrinth. They fought against monsters for heaves sake! A bunch of losers in grey robes wouldn’t stop them for very long, right?

…Right?

T-they were trying to escape and would come for him soon…

He wasn’t the last one left. He just wasn’t!

Macerio squeezed his eyes shut tightly in an attempt to push back the urge to cry. He couldn’t allow his mind to fall into that chaotic state. He knew that Lynus, Tobyn, and Axel were all there as well, in the same predicament as him. He couldn’t panic. He had to be calm and think rationally.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of feet outside his door. He could hear murmured voices and figured that he must have a guard stationed just outside his room. And when the door opened slightly, revealing the sight of two tall people in robes, he felt his heart sink further.

But then the slightly shorter of the two guards suddenly grabbed the door and ripped it open fully, slamming it into the taller guard's face. As they stumbled backwards, the attacking guard reached out to slip a hand behind their neck and then abruptly pulled them forward to knee them in the stomach, causing them to lurch forward with a sound of a gurgled gasp. They hit the floor with a thud and remained there, unmoving. Not even twitching.

W-what the hell was going on?

As the previously attacking guard reached down to grab at the other's arms, they made a motion with their head, indicating to someone unseen to enter Macerio's room.

And Macerio instantly felt a spike of fear when he heard soft footsteps. But instead of another grey-robed guard, a certain orange-haired medic hurried into the room, a comforting smile on his lips.

Macerio felt light-headed with relief.

“Are you all right, Macerio?” Lynus asked him as he promptly removed the gag, allowing for Macerio to draw in a sharp breath of fresh air.

“I’m so glad to see you,” Macerio said instead, watching with curiosity as the person in the robes dragged the unconscious guard into the room and harshly dumped them in a corner. They then turned toward him and Lynus and pulled back the hood.

“Tobyn?” Macerio murmured in surprise as the blond-haired survivalist peered back at him. “That was awesome!”

Tobyn smirked at him but said nothing. Instead he reached into the robes and pulled out a knife. And in a matter of seconds, he had cut at all of Macerio’s bindings, releasing him. Macerio immediately jumped to his feet and rubbed at his wrists in a fidgeting manner.

“Thanks,” Macerio murmured as he skittishly looked around. “W-what’s going on?”

“We’re not entirely sure,” Lynus replied as he, too, glanced around in a cautious manner. “But I know that Axel, Jhon, and Magnus are in this building as well. We need to find them. We can figure out the details later.”

Lynus’ gaze suddenly stilled and his furrowed his brow slightly, as if he was confused by the sight of something. Before Macerio could ask what was wrong, Lynus moved toward the desk in the corner of the room and picked up a yellowing piece of paper that was lying on the floor.

“Another journal page?” Tobyn unexpectedly asked him.

“Yeah,” Lynus murmured as he ran his gaze over the paper.

Macerio frown in confusion. “Journal?”

Lynus turned toward him, his lips parting slightly as if to respond before he unexpectedly glanced toward the door in a slightly skittish manner. “I’ll explain in the servant’s passageways,” he said.

Macerio hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, but he knew better than to stand there and demand questions. So he allowed Tobyn to push him toward the door and quickly down the silent hallway until they reach a small nook seemingly between two rooms. Tobyn then walked over to the wall and…opened it up? There was a door hidden in the wall?

“Old manor houses like this tend to have passageways for the servants, to prevent them from being seen,” Lynus explained to him as Tobyn pushed the both of them into the small door into a narrow, gloomy passageway. “Thankfully, they don’t seem to know this.”

Thank the gods for minor miracles!

“How did you find this?” Macerio asked in a hush tone.

“I found a journal in my room,” Lynus explained as Tobyn closed the hidden door behind him, reaching out to take Macerio by the arm to prevent him from wincing at the total darkness around them. “It led me to it. It also has several pages missing. So far I found two, one in Tobyn’s room and one in yours.”

So that was what the two were talking about. “What does the one from my room say?” Macerio asked as his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, immediately noticing the slight frown on Lynus’ lips.

He paused for a moment as he pulled out the note and squinted at it. He then read aloud what it said.

_I had the most terrifying dream last night. Men in grey robes surround me, chanting and humming. They speak of the impossible. Immortality. Lord Ronaldo is there also, though his face was darkened. I knew it was him. Surely, the stress of my mysterious illness is causing such frightful dreams?_

…Ok, out of context, that sounded unnerving.

And from the sharp intake of air from Tobyn, in context must be rather terrifying, too. “Lynus, this…”

“I know,” Lynus replied hastily as he shoved the note into a pocket of his coat. “Let’s keep going.”

Macerio wanted to ask what the two were talking about, but held his tongue. They weren’t telling him for a reason, and honestly he was probably better not knowing what else they had discovered in that journal.

Lynus unexpectedly gasped softly and leaned forward, one hand clutching at his chest as the other pressed against the wall. His shoulders shook as his breathing turned harsh and unsteady. He stared at the ground in front of him as he relied heavily on the wall for support.

“L-Lynus?” Macerio murmured as he hovered next to him, not sure of what to do.

“What?” Tobyn asked as he also made his way over to him and placed his hands on Lynus’ shoulders to lean forward and look into his eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s…Axel,” Lynus whimpered softly. “He’s…in distress. I can feel him…”

Axel? In distress? Th-that can’t be right! Axel was the strongest of the guild. There was no way he could be in distress, right?

…Shit! What were those bastards doing to him?

“I’m…fine,” Lynus suddenly stated with a tone of determination as he stood up straight and gave a slight shake of his head. “Don’t worry about me. Magnus is very close by. He’s becoming distressed, too. We need to get to him quickly.”

“Right,” Tobyn murmured as the three of them began to silently navigate through the dark and narrow passageway.

But…Macerio didn’t like this. It was…too surreal. It couldn’t be happening. Axel. Lynus. They were two of the strongest people he knew. But they were both suffering. T-they couldn’t be suffering. T-that wasn’t allowed. That wasn’t supposed to happen!

It wasn’t fair how…resilient Lynus was acting. Axel was his soulmate, literally probably. How could he be so calm and rational when he knew that he was in distress? Was it because he knew that it wouldn’t serve any purpose? That if he became distressed in front of him and Tobyn, they would panic, too?

Was he…pushing aside his own fears and anxiety to look after everyone else?

“It’ll be fine, Macerio,” Lynus suddenly said to him in a comforting manner and gently took his hand in his. “We’re all here together. We’ve been through worse.”

Macerio drew in a deep breath to settle his nerves before he nodded and tightened his hand around Lynus’, grateful to have something to hold onto. “Y-yeah.”

They continued to move quietly for a few moments longer before they suddenly reached a brick wall, preventing them from traveling further.

“Oh. This is bad,” Lynus whispered as he glanced around. “I think we’ve reached the end of this passageway.”

“Figures,” Tobyn muttered as he, too, glanced around and turned his attention to the last pinpoint of light they had moved passed. “We’re going to have to sneak out in the corridors and risk being detected. Keep your voices down. I’ll take the lead. You two run if anything should happen.”

Macerio gulped softly. “O-ok.”

God, he hoped they didn’t get confronted by someone. He didn’t have his guns. He was utterly useless!

Slowly, Tobyn pushed at the door and it slid open, thankfully without a noise. He carefully edged his way out before indicating with his hand for Macerio and Lynus to follow. Wordlessly, they follow and they found themselves stepping out into a dead-end hallway with a single window that seemed to have bars covering it on the outside. There was also a decorative cabinet up against one of the walls.

Lynus tugged Macerio toward that cabinet, prompting him to crouch down next to him to hide as Tobyn made his way toward the end of the hall, where it connected with another. He peered around one of the corners before he winced and pulled back.

“This is bad,” Tobyn murmured under his breath.

“Can we stop saying that?” Macerio all but whimpered.

“I'm not repeating it on purpose,” Tobyn replied with an unsettled expression on his face. “Magnus’ room is heavily guarded. They must be more cautious of him because he’s an alchemist.”

Macerio winced at the thought. “Yeah. And I bet he’s freaking out now…”

That was right. Magnus would be terrified. Seeing others scared would only frighten him further. Macerio couldn’t afford to let his own fear get the better of him anymore. He needed to help Tobyn and protect Lynus.

Ok. He could do this. He should be fine now.

“Let’s get ready to cause a scene,” Tobyn said as he pulled up the hood of the robes he had undoubtedly stolen.

Macerio nodded his head as he tightened his hand around Lynus’. “Right. Stay back, Lynus.”

“Ok.”

… … … … …

The ache in Axel’s back and shoulders was starting to really get to him. The unnatural tightness in his arms and wrists was making it difficult to concentrate. Not only that, but the silence and inky darkness around him were causing him to see things from the corners of his eyes.

Although, it could be that Ronaldo bastard sleazing around to unnerve him. He wouldn’t put it past the bastard to wait and watch from a distance to get his jollies and to pounce the second he showed even a hint of weakness. Axel couldn’t afford that. He wouldn’t let the bastard gloat over something like that.

But… it was starting to get a little difficult to breathe all of a sudden.

“Aww,” that same obnoxious voice suddenly cooed. “You're getting so weak that your body is failing. Soon the act of breathing will become difficult.”

Axel winced and gritted his teeth. “Tch. Bastard.”

He found himself clenching his jaw tighter when that sleazy, slippery bastard stepped from the shadows once more and all but glided over toward him. And he promptly winced when the man rested his hand in-between Axel’s raised arms and leaned over him.

“I can help you, you know,” he said as he trailed a finger idly along Axel’s jawline. “Just tell me what I need to hear. Three little words.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Axel spat in response.

Ronaldo’s eye abruptly twitched in displeasure. “Not the three words I wanted. You were meant to say ‘I am yours’. Your stubbornness is becoming annoying.”

Axel glared at him the best he could. “I think the fact that I'm chained to an altar allows me to be less than courteous.”

He suddenly grabbed Axel’s chin harshly and leaned his face toward his. There was nothing short of a predatory look on his face as he stared at him with unblinking eyes. “Hm, I do suppose so. You're a stubborn one, aren't you?”

Axel tried to twist his head away, but the grip he had on his chin was surprisingly strong. “You have no idea.”

“Why do you continue to resist?” Ronaldo stupidly asked him. “You're as weak as a kitten now. You’re practically trembling before me. It's a bit of a turn on, to be honest,” he said as he unexpectedly, but nauseatingly rubbed his thumb over Axel’s bottom lip.

Axel grimaced at the touch, but was unable to pull away. “Get your rocks off somewhere else, pervert,” he spat in reply.

Ronaldo’s eyes narrowed. “You should just submit to me already.”

“And you should just go to hell already,” Axel said as he abruptly turned his head to the side, dislodging Ronaldo’s hold on his chin. “I'll never submit to you.”

“Hm...” Ronaldo seemed to hum in thought for a moment as that predatory smirk reappeared on his lips. “I'm more tempted than ever to simply keep you like this. That blond protector would make a more than respectable vessel for my dearest beloved to inhabit.”

“He'll never submit to you either,” Axel immediately stated, absolutely firm in his belief in his friend’s stubbornness along with his own. “No one will.”

“Well,” Ronaldo purred mockingly as he pushed away from him. “It certainly will be fun finding out, won't it?”

As quickly as he had emerged from the shadows haunting the corners of the chamber, he disappeared back within the darkness.

Axel gritted his teeth in frustration as he turned his attention back to the restraints around his wrists.

That bastard. He was constantly coming and going, and Axel was pretty certain he knew what he was doing; leaving him alone to suffer with his restraints and fear for the others’ safety while tormenting his other prisoners, no doubt relishing in their fear and uncertain of what was happening to their guildmates as well.

The bastard wasn’t being frivolous. He knew exactly what he was doing.

He needed to find a way out of these chains. And fast.


	4. Chapter 4

Something was wrong. So, so wrong.

It…it wasn’t just because Magnus found himself bound to a chair, thick leather straps pinning his wrists to the arms of the wooden chair, his hands covered in thick, inflammable material, or that he had that same material was covering his mouth to prevent any words from passing his lips. While waking up to that restriction and in a room he had never been in before was frightening, there was something else that made his heartrate increase.

The very air around him felt wrong.

It felt heavy, dank, and suppressive. Oppressive.

He could hear strange sounds, sounds that weren’t exactly physically audible but spiritually. Noises that were low, like that of scratching within the walls, yet also high-pitched like with a chime or bell.

But it was the atmosphere that caused him the most fear. He had encountered monsters in the labyrinth whose presence was frightening, but that was on a purely primal level.

What he felt now…was something else. Something he couldn’t describe. Something that made him feel absolutely terrified. It…hurt. It made him want to cry. He wanted…he just wanted to get away. It was too frightening. He couldn’t take it.

Magnus blinked back tears as he fruitlessly tugged at the leather straps on his wrists. Why? Why was this happening? Who would want to do something like this to him? And the others? They were there, too. He just…knew it. They had been with him in the tea room. Talking. Shen had been, too, but he was asked to check something at weapon shop. An item had been stolen previously. A crystal. One that was said to…

Capture spiritual entities…?

The door to his room suddenly opened and a man who presence was unworldly stepped into the room, stepped in front of him. He peered down at him with a severe gaze, his eyes sharp yet somehow devoid of life. He didn’t feel…normal. He was like that of the air around them. Harsh, cold…dead.

“Ah, awake, I see,” he said, his voice causing a tremor of fear to race up Magnus’ spine. “Are you normally this quiet? Oh, right, my apologies.”

Magnus felt himself sinking back into his seat, unable to take his wide-eyed gaze from the man in grey robes. He…was behind all this? W-why?

“You’re wondering who I am and what I’m doing, aren’t you?” the man suddenly said to him with a conceited smirk on his lips. “Do you really want to know?”

P-probably not…

“I’ll tell you anyway,” the man continued as he leaned forward, moving closer toward him, making him push himself further back against the chair. “I am Lord Ronaldo of Darkshire Manor. And what I’m doing is simple; I want the complete submission of that red-haired landsknecht.”

Magnus felt the blood drain from his face. A-Axel?

“Yes, Axel,” the man answered, as if he had just read Magnus’ mind, and his smirk grew more wicked. “Though his soul means nothing to me, he has quite a ravishing body. It’ll be quite the pleasure possessing it.”

…What?

The man’s eyes suddenly grew narrow with irritation and the smirk on his lips faded. He suddenly lurched forward and placed his hands atop of Magnus’ wrists, pinning them further against the arms of the chair.

His grip was…cold. Inhuman. It immediately made Magnus whimper, and he began to tremble when Ronaldo leaned a little bit closer, his lips pulled back into a snarl.

“You have such bright blue eyes,” he muttered as his eyes bore piercingly into Magnus’. “They’re kinda annoying, actually. My Beloved’s eyes were far more beautiful. What gives you the right to have such blue eyes?”

Magnus felt his breathing increase as he shook his head. Even if he could speak, he didn’t know what to say. Nothing other than a whimper of fear.

“…Ah, no matter,” Ronaldo said as he mercifully pulled away from him, leaning back to his full height before a look of mild disgust appeared on his face. “Your eyes mean nothing to me.”

Ronaldo muttered something else under his breath before he abruptly turned around and stalked out of the room. The door abruptly slammed shut behind him, and Magnus was left alone in the stifling silence of his make-shift prison. Though he was alone in the room, he heard others just outside the door. Two of them. Standing guard on either side of the door.

His heart was thundering in his chest. He could hardly breathe. Couldn’t think. He just wanted to cry.

Shen? Lynus? Someone?

He was so scared. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t move! He couldn’t do anything. His abilities…were useless!

Tears blurred his vision. A sob lodged in his throat, making it harder to breathe as he weakly, meekly, tugged at his wrist restraints.

…He just wanted to go home…

Shen, please, hurry up and find him. H-he was too scared to do anything on his own.

Magnus’ breath hitched in his throat when he heard a sudden commotion just outside his door. He could hear footsteps and muttering voices. And they were both followed by the strange sound of a hollow thud. Just like when…a body hit the floor.

Before he could muse about what could have happened, the door abruptly opened and…Magnus felt a sob of utter relief lodge into the back of his throat when Lynus suddenly appeared and made a beeline straight to him.

“Shh,” Lynus said to him as he immediately removed the gag stifling his breathing and place his hand on the back of his neck to cradle his head against his chest. “We’re here now. It’ll be all right.”

“L-Lynus,” Magnus whimpered as the orange-haired medic ran comforting fingers through his hair.

The sight and feeling of Lynus being near him, comforting him, immediately caused Magnus to feel more at ease. He felt more reassured when two more familiar faces appeared. Tobyn and Macerio. And they had with them two others, dressed in robes and unconscious.

Dumping the two what had to be guardsmen into the far corner of the room, Tobyn and Macerio then turned their attention back to Magnus. Tobyn pulled two knives out of his pockets and handed one to Macerio, before they moved to stand on either side of Magnus and proceeded to effortlessly cut at the leather straps on his wrists.

“Th-thank you, Macerio, Tobyn,” Magnus said as the leather straps along with the inflammable material covering his hands fell away.

Macerio just grinned at him as he gave the knife back to Tobyn. “Hey, we're guildmates. It's what we do.”

Y-yeah, that was right. They were guildmates. They were family. They would always look out for one another.

“Lynus,” Tobyn turned to their medic and unexpectedly handed him a yellowing scrap of paper. “Here.”

“Another one?” Lynus asked as he received the piece of paper from Tobyn. He spent a second looking at it before an unsettled expression appeared on his face and he read aloud what was written on that note.

_What I have found, I do not truly understand, but it terrifies me. Black magic. Hexes. Curses. Ritualistic chanting. The servants of Darkshire Manor have been replaced with faces I do not know, nor trust. The way they look at me is frightening. I must escape this place, but I do not know how._

“T-they’re getting worse,” Macerio stuttered.

W-what was that? T-those images…who…they-

“Ah!” Magnus suddenly squeaked. “L-Lynus, it’s Axel. He’s the one they were after.”

Lynus drew in a shaky breath through his lips and he seemed just…nod his head in acceptance, as if he had already known. He probably did. He would know if there was something happening to Axel. He’d be able to feel it, too…

“This isn’t…this isn’t some Lord’s greed for power,” Lynus suddenly said with an expression that was a mixture of confusion and pain. “It’s something else. They’re not guards.”

“What are they?” Tobyn asked.

Lynus chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “Followers,” he said softly.

Magnus grasped at the front of his coat with his hands. “A c-cult?”

“It has to be,” Tobyn muttered as he turned his attention to their surroundings, looking at everything with a critical gaze. “That would actually explain a lot.”

Macerio began to fidget on his feet as he, too, began to look at the area around them. “It also means that they’re not someone we can convince into letting us go.”

Tobyn scowled darkly. “I bet that Lord Ronaldo is their leader. He’s our main target, then.”

“We have to be careful,” Lynus immediately cautioned. “One doesn’t become leader to so many followers without reason. He has to have some trick up his sleeve to control everyone.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Tobyn murmured before he turned his attention back to the three of them. “What should we do?”

Lynus was silent for a moment, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts while…also pushing something aside. His fear? His uncertainty? His worry for Axel? For them? For himself?

He was…trying to hold back his own fears for the sake of others. He was…always doing that.

“Let’s just focus on getting to Axel and Jhon,” Lynus finally said. “No doubt that Hamza and Shen are looking for us. We’ll need to bide them some time.”

B-but…if Axel and Jhon were in trouble, could they really help them? They were two of the strongest members of their guild! If they were in trouble, then…

“Can we rescue them?” Magnus whispered.

“We're going to have to try,” Tobyn said as he moved toward the door and peeked out. He spent a moment looking back and forth before he pulled back with a slight frown on his lips, as if he had remembered something.

“Wait a minute, Darkshire Manor?” he suddenly asked. “Is that where we are?”

Magnus nodded his head. “H-he said that he was the lord of D-Darkshire Manor. Why?”

“I think I've heard of this place,” Tobyn replied. “It's rumoured to be cursed. Haunted. That sort of thing. I didn't think it actually existed.”

H-haunted? That was…that would explain why the air around them, around Magnus, felt so wrong, so oppressive. But why?

“Why the rumours?” Lynus ended up asking before Magnus could form the words.

“The owner was a psychopath,” Tobyn said as he turned to look outside into the hallway again. “Seems that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Anyway, let’s go. It’s clear for now.”

Silently, Lynus reached out to take Magnus by the hand and pulled him toward the door where Tobyn was, Macerio right behind them. They carefully stepped out into the hallway, of which was long and narrow, and dark. It, too, held an ominous ambiance to it. The wallpaper dull and worn in several places, the piece of furniture scattered around old and faded.

There was nothing…right about this place. It felt so…sinister.

They moved down the hall as quietly as they could, none of them talking, not even sharing a fearful glance. They were focused forward, on their task. Fear, uncertainty, unease – they had no place with them right now.

But as they turned into another hallway, they were suddenly met with a lone guardsman in a grey robe and carrying a tall spear. Though his face was shadowed by the hood pulled up over his head, his mouth dropped open in surprise.

“What?” he muttered in a surprised manner before his lips was pulled back into a snarl and they reached for his spear. “How did you escape?”

“Shit,” Tobyn hissed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, wielding it fearlessly in front of him with one hand while he pushed Magnus and the others behind him. “Stay back.”

Lynus immediately grabbed onto Magnus, pulling him against him as Macerio pressed himself against Lynus’ back in fright. B-but the guy had a spear! Tobyn couldn’t…not on his own…no!

“N-no,” Magnus whimpered as he pulled himself from Lynus’ hold and pushed himself in front of Tobyn. “Freeze!”

As the words tumbled from his lips, a bitter cold radiated from his outstretched hand and filled the air around them before it abruptly dissipated and ice encircled the guard, encasing them completely. Fully. There was…no way of getting out. The ice was too thick.

Magnus…hadn’t really meant to do that, but…

Macerio suddenly hugged him from behind, unintentionally making him squeak in surprise. “That was awesome, Magnus.”

Magnus flushed lightly at the compliment. “I-I couldn’t let him hurt anyone.”

Tobyn eyed off the guard with a bitter look, but he breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. “We couldn’t have evaded them for much longer, anyway.”

It was probably lucky that he were the first one they had come across.

“So what do we do now?” Macerio asked.

“Let’s start raising some hell,” Tobyn said as he turned his gaze toward Magnus. “Up for it?”

Magnus clenched and unclenched his hands. He was the only one who could still use his abilities to their fullest. He needed to be the one to protect them. He couldn’t be afraid anymore. Not now. Not when they needed him. Not when Axel and Jhon needed him.

_“Yes,”_ Magnus replied.

… … … … …

Axel tugged idly at the restraints. He couldn’t help but muse about how he should be able to easily break them. He could fracture chains with enough strength.

But now…he could barely even loosen them, let alone slip them off. He needed…he needed to get out of this cursed magic circle. The one that was etched in chalk on the ground. If he could get far away enough, he could begin to recover his strength.

Until then, he’d have to rely on his wit. What could he do or could be used to loosen his restraints enough for him to get himself free?

He was certain that the others were causing Ronaldo all sorts of trouble. And he knew they would come for him. Eventually. He just needed to hold out until then.

Lynus…God, please let him be all right. Let everyone be ok.

Axel furrowed his brow slightly when he heard a sound. A little ‘tink’ sound. Like metal falling onto the ground. Though it took some effort, he was able to tilt his head back to look up at the metal cuffs around his wrists and was surprised to realise that his previous struggling hadn’t been in vain. One of the cuffs had loosened. A small piece had fallen off. A bit more manipulation and he should be able to pull his wrist free.

Biting on the inside of his mouth, Axel focused on wiggling his wrist and concentrated his efforts on that small chink in the steel cuff. And…

Yes! He was able to get his hand free.

With one hand free, he should be able to work on the other cuff. He had to move quickly. That Ronaldo bastard hadn’t shown up yet, but he would return at any second. He knew he would.

Moving cautiously, but as quickly as possible, Axel focused on the other cuff. He noticed that this one was, for whatever reason, slightly different than the other. It had a pin in place. A small, narrow one, but if he popped it out with his fingers, he should be able to remove it completely.

And after a few frantic seconds, he was able to do just that.

Axel sighed as he pulled his arms toward his chest and rested there for a second. Fuck, it felt good to have proper movement back in his arms. They hurt like shit, but at least, at the very least, he could move them.

Now, came the difficult part. He had to move his whole body. It…won’t be easy.

He gritted his teeth as he rolled onto his side, toward the edge of the altar and swung his legs over the side. He placed his feet onto the ground and managed to shimmy the rest of his body toward the edge as well. As he tried to stand up upon his feet, his legs unexpectedly buckled and he had to clutch the side of the stone alter, leaning heavily against it.

S-shit…he could barely walk. That curse on the ground…he had to get out of it.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Startled, Axel unwittingly spun around to face the source of the voice, but his grip on the altar slipped and he hit the floor, hard.

Fucking damn it!

“Don’t go hurting yourself,” Ronaldo mocked him as he walked toward him at a leisurely pace.

Axel tried to glare hatefully at the other man, but it was taking all his energy to keep his eyes open at this point. “Don’t you dare come any closer…”

“Oh? What are you going to do?” Ronaldo gleefully asked as he grabbed Axel roughly by the arm and hauled him to his feet.

He then did something that made Axel feel sick to his stomach. Ronaldo pulled him into his arms, pressed him tightly against his chest and wrapped a disgusting arm around his waist. With his hands trapped against Ronaldo’s chest, Axel immediately struggled, but he couldn’t do anything. He was…so weak.

“Isn’t this fun?” Ronaldo mocked as he grabbed Axel’s hand, positioning him in his arms as if they were about to dance. “You’re so weak that I can do whatever I want with you. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Though Axel glared back defiantly, he knew that Ronaldo was right. That curse, that hex, whatever he did to him made him so weak he couldn’t even stand without aid.

“It doesn’t matter what you do to me,” Axel gritted out. “I won’t ever submit to you.”

It probably shouldn’t be surprising that Ronaldo didn’t look even remotely disappointed. In fact…

“Oh, well,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “That just means I get to have more fun with you.”

Axel had to grit his teeth together to swallow back the overwhelming nausea from Ronaldo’s predatory look.

Before Axel could spit out an insult or two, Ronaldo unexpectedly released hold of his hand and took a step back, mercifully removing his disgusting, cold body away from Axel’s. However, much to Axel’s horror, Ronaldo leaned down to place an arm behind Axel’s knees and then swept him up into his arms.

Axel immediately flailed and tried desperately and frantically to push him away.

Ronaldo then dumped him unceremoniously back onto the altar and snared both of his wrists in his hands. He pinned them together and held them there with one hand while the other searched for something in his robes. While he was doing this, Axel immediately tried to struggle his way free from his grasp. But absolutely nothing was happening. He wasn’t hampering him in anyway.

All he could do was watch helplessly as Ronaldo pulled out a coil of robe from his robes and begin to wind it around his wrists, tying them together harshly. He just couldn’t…he could never have imagined that he could become so weak…

The expression on Ronaldo’s face turned positively feral as he leaned over him, pinning his arms above his head with one hand. The way he was looking at him…Axel had never felt such disgust and fear in his life.

“You are positively gorgeous when you’re terrified,” Ronaldo said as he licked his lips with anticipation and leaned forward slightly to-

“Your lordship!”

Ronaldo looked furious at being disturbed. “What is it?” he hissed. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Axel peered from the corner of his eye as someone dressed in grey robes similar to what Ronaldo wore stood on the outer ring of the chalk etchings on the floor. And they looked disturbed.

“It's the prisoners, sir,” a slightly masculine voice said. “They're...not exactly cooperating.”

“What?” Ronaldo hissed, his brow furrowing slightly in disbelief.

Axel released a small laugh, mostly out of relief than of mirth. “You've picked the wrong guild,” he said as he peered defiantly back up at Ronaldo. “Clearly.”

Ronaldo glared at him, enraged for a moment before he snarled and pulled back, moving to tie Axel’s hands to something above his head. “No matter,” he said as he tightened the rope around his wrists. “I will deal with this myself.”

Axel winced at the tightness of the rope around his already bruised and sore wrists, and watched with a grimace as Ronaldo marched over to the other man and pause in front of him to hiss something.

“Who is it? What? That medic? How? There’s no way he could have escaped through the window, you idiot. He’s hiding somewhere. Find him.”

Lynus? He was ok?

Heh. If he knew his teammates as well as he thought he did, they’d be fighting back right about now. Raising all sorts of hell. Together. Ronaldo had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Axel just needed to wait for them to come for him. Just wait for a little bit longer…


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel that I should apologise if this week’s chapter isn’t very good. I’ve been feeling utterly awful this week, health wise I mean. Terrible migraines and chest pains. So sorry if I also sound a little grumpy. ‘Hopefully’ it’s just a flare up of my fibro and it’ll settle down if I get some rest. I had this chapter almost finished, thankfully, I just needed to proof read it. So again sorry if I miss anything. The way I feel currently, though, I’m not sure if I’ll have next week’s chapter on time. I might have to skip a week.
> 
> Anyway, enough of my pity rambling, hope you do find some enjoyment from today’s update.

As a protector, Jhon had found himself in numerous precarious situations before. It was par the course of his class. But when he opened his eyes from what felt like an unfulfilling and less than voluntary nap, he felt his breath hitch in his throat when his gaze focused in on his unfamiliar surroundings.

With his head spinning from dizziness and uncertainty, Jhon quickly realised that he was standing upright, his back against a stone wall, and his arms pulled above his head and out slightly to the side, held there by metal cuffs at the wrists and attached to long chains that were embedded into the wall.

Now fully awake, Jhon immediately pulled at his chains as his gaze skittishly inspected his surroundings. The room he was confined in was small, dank, but otherwise unremarkable. There was nothing to look at. Only a door opposite him that was closed.

And he was the only person in the room.

A good or bad thing, he didn’t know. Was he the only one taken? Why was he restrained in this room? Where was he? What happened exactly?

Jhon gritted his teeth as he continued to tug at the chains around his wrists. He also tried desperately to remember what had happened. He was at the inn in the tea room. Others were with him. Talking about a few bizarre instances around town. Chatting comfortably. Completely unguarded. They were at the inn, after all. No need to be on watch or guard there. But…

Something came in through the window. A glass bottle of something. Jhon remembered being the one to push someone behind him, to place himself between them and whatever that projectile was. After that…

He couldn’t remember anything after that.

Though, he didn’t really need to know all the details. Something terrible happened. He was held captive somewhere. And it was highly unlikely that he alone was taken. He wasn’t certain, but he had to maintain the thought that he wasn’t alone, and he needed to find his way out of these chains and out of this room so that he could get to them. As soon as possible.

Jhon winced in anticipation when he heard the sound of feet against the stone ground, heading in his direction. He greeted his teeth when the door to his prison was opened and a tall man, whom he had never seen before, confidentially entered the room with a satisfied expression on his face.

“You are the last to awaken,” he said instead of offering any kind of greeting. “Surprising, really. You must have been the closest to the sleeping gas.”

…So that was sleeping gas that was thrown through the window.

Wait. The last to awaken? The others were here as well? At least he knew for sure now. But they…were probably locked up in their own version of hell. Shit. Tobyn wasn’t likely to cooperate in anyway, Macerio would be struggling with his fear of being left alone, Magnus would be desperately trying not to panic and Lynus…

Jhon wasn’t entirely sure how Lynus would be fare. He had…been through this before. He would either be having a severe panic attack at the prospect of being a hostage again. Or…become overwhelmingly determined not to be a hostage again.

Shaking his head to clear it, he took a moment to look at the much older man in front of him and felt an unsettling knot appear in his stomach and he curled his hands into tight fists.

He had faced down many a FOE in his time. As a protector, it was par for the course. But that man…had an aura unlike any FOE he had encountered. It was more…malicious. There was nothing primal or animalistic about his presence. It was far more disturbing than that. He felt…

Malevolent.

That was the only word that seemed accurate enough to describe the man’s aura. His presence. His very existence. He wasn’t right. He wasn’t normal. He wasn’t exactly…human.

“Who exactly are you meant to be?” Jhon managed to ask around the tightness of fear in his throat.

“The master of this fine estate,” the man responded as his lips curled up into a conceited smirk. “Lord Ronaldo.”

That name…was somewhat familiar. He had heard it somewhere before. A long time ago. It…actually reminded him of a story from his childhood, one that the adults told their kids to keep them inside at night and not to wander around alone. He couldn’t remember exactly, though.

Not that it really mattered at this very moment.

“You are no doubt wondering what’s going on,” the man known as Ronaldo immediately stated, sounding quite confident. “Wondering what’s happening to you. Why you’re here. Why all the chains. It’s simple, really. Very simple. You are useful to me. And fascinating. I had to go through such measures. I’m sure you can understand fully.”

Useful and fascinating, huh? How flattering. But there was a slight undertone to his voice as well. A slight subtext almost. Something along the lines of him knowing full well that they wouldn’t be remotely interested in him, in what he wanted from them. He knew that whatever it was that he had been planning, they weren’t going to allow to happen.

So he felt justified in his actions?

Bastard.

“You see, I have this goal,” Ronaldo said in a mockingly flippant manner. “Dream, if you will. And I needed a few test subjects. Oh, silly me, I mean volunteers.”

Volunteers? That arrogant piece of shit.

“Oh, don’t worry your silly little head, you haven’t been volunteered yet.”

Jhon hadn’t the faintest idea what the hell he was talking about.

There were so many questions running through his head, but Jhon opted to stay defiantly silent instead for the moment. Demanding answers would only allow the man before him to feel superior, allow him to relish in his uncertainty, and to confuse him with cryptic words. Nothing the man said could be taken as truth. He seemed like the type to relish greatly in someone else’s distress and insecurity.

God, Tobyn, he hoped that he didn’t do anything to antagonised the bastard and get himself hurt.

“You’re just the back up,” Ronaldo continued as he paced the small space with his hands folded behind his back and an obnoxious swagger in his steps. “Just in case that landsknecht does something…regretful.”

Landsknecht? Axel? Axel was their target? Shit. That meant they were either highly skilled or completely insane. And, honestly, neither was a good thing.

Ronaldo unexpectedly paused in his pacing and turned to face him, one of his furry little eyebrows arching toward his hairline. “Hm? You’re an awfully quiet one, aren’t you?”

Jhon said nothing. He just looked at him through narrow eyes, glare unflinching.

And the man before him didn’t seem to appreciate that as his conceited smirk faded a little and a flash of annoyance appeared in his eyes. He then unexpectedly stalked straight up to him, standing mere inches away from him and grabbed him roughly by the chin. His hand was cold, clammy, and decidedly unnatural.

“Too high and mighty to talk to me?” he practically spat at him.

Once again, Jhon made no attempt to verbally respond.

Ronaldo stared back at him with narrow eyes, his gaze on par with that of a FOE, really. He also looked incredibly disappointed. He obviously wanted more of a reaction out of him. He wanted Jhon to rant and rave at him. To curse and swear.

So Jhon remaining rebelliously silent was infuriating.

“You’re no fun,” Ronaldo unexpectedly sighed as he released his hold on his chin, much to Jhon’s internal relief. “That landsknecht is far feistier than you. Since you love the silence so much, you can stay here. Only the sound of rats scurrying to accompany you.”

Far better than listening to his conceited and arrogant voice.

“M-master Ronaldo!”

The sound of another’s voice, frantic in tone, caused the man to frown in further disappointment before he heaved an irritated sigh and turned toward the door of Jhon’s prison.

“What is it now?” Ronaldo spat at another man wearing similar grey robes and stalked over to him.

Although the other man’s face was shadowed in the pull-up hood of his robes, Jhon could see that he was distressed, disturbed even. Like something terrible had happened.

Jhon felt a spike of fear appear in his chest and he quickly came to a decision. He didn’t have a clue to what was really going on, but he wasn’t going to remain a passive hostage. He wasn’t going to wait around for these bastards to harm his guildmates, his family. He was a protector. He had a job to do.

Axel wasn’t the only one with almost inhuman strength. Jhon had more than his fair share.

And, damn it he was going to use it. Raze this place to the ground!

“Why are you telling me this again?” Ronaldo hissed loudly before he voice abruptly lowered. “That medic is still inside the manor somewhere. Find him already.”

What? Lynus managed to escape? He…wasn’t willing to play the part of the passive hostage again, it seemed. Well...all the more for Jhon to start raising hell of his own.

The unnamed robed man trembled slightly as he shook his head. “My lord! I-it appears that the other hostages have escaped as well. A-all of them.”

“What?!” Ronaldo shrilled in pure disbelief. “How-? That medic? No…”

And Lynus had helped everyone else to escape? Even better.

With Ronaldo busy speaking with his little squadron of minions just outside the door, Jhon pushed up onto his toes, enough for him to wiggle his hands to wrap around the chain restraining him. He tightened his grip and pulled. Hard.

He gritted his teeth as a sense of anger bubbled in his chest.

He thought about his teammates. He thought how that grey-robed man in front of him had attacked them at the inn. Thought about how he had the audacity to kidnap him and his teammates. Thought about how scared or hurt his teammates were. Thought about how Tobyn and the others were desperately fighting back without weapons. Thought about the suffering Axel must be going through.

And all of that seriously pissed him off.

All because of this…this fucking asshole in front of him.

With a loud crack, the brick that the chain was anchored to slid from the wall and fell to the floor with a thud, small bits of mortar and cement following. Soon, the second one followed, and Jhon stepped away from the wall as the chains pooled by his feet.

He panted softly as he took an intimidating step forward and glared at the man in front of him, who of which was staring back at him with an expression of supressed surprise.

“You’re certainly a strong one,” Ronaldo said with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

“Especially when I’m angry,” Jhon retorted sharply.

Ronaldo took a slight, almost subtle step backwards. “I knew you were going to be a problem.”

“You have no idea how much of a problem I am going to be,” Jhon said as he took another step forward, dragging the chains and cement blocks with him. “Especially for you.”

Ronaldo looked at him silently for a moment, his gaze studying him, no doubt analysing how much of a threat he truly was before his jaw tightened. “I should have cursed you, too.”

“Curse, huh?” Jhon seethed. “That’s how you’re subduing Axel? Typical.”

“Pah,” Ronaldo unexpectedly spat as he turned and pushed his way through the small group of robed guards. “Subdue him! I’ll handle the others on my own!” he ordered as he made a hasty retreat.

“As you command, master,” one of the mindless minions replied and as Jhon approached the door, he found three grey robed guards formed in a small semi-circle in front of him, each one of them carrying a long spear.

“Really?” Jhon coolly returned as he wrapped his hands tighter around the chains, willingly to use them as weapons. “You really want to try me?”

The guards seemed to hesitate for a moment, but Jhon didn’t care. He was so mad. So utterly infuriated that he launched himself at the three of them.

He…didn’t really remember what happened after that. He was in a blind rage, something he had never felt before in his life. Dealing with monsters in the labyrinth was one thing. That was a different type of anger. He couldn’t afford to be enraged. Protecting his guild, his friends and family, from danger. That was what he was supposed to do.

But these…bastards in front of him was trying to stop him from doing that. He wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from doing what he needed to do.

No one was allowed to hurt his guildmates. None of them!

Jhon’s next conscious thought was when he wrapped a chain around one of the guard’s neck and pulled tightly, enough to hinder his air supply, but not restrict his breathing entirely. The other two guards…well, they appeared to be unconscious, one was slumped against the wall, head down and chin to his chest, a tickle of blood seen dripping on the grey robes. The other was lying face down on the ground a few feet away, arms straight by his sides, not making a noise or moving an inch.

Jhon shook his head as he paused for a moment in order to regain his bearings. The…threat had past. He needed to be a little more rational now.

“You've got five seconds to tell me what's happening to Axel or I'll tighten this chain,” Jhon said as twisted the guard to the ground, so that his back was toward him, allowing him the advantage.

“You wouldn't,” the guard managed to gurgle at him.

Jhon narrowed his eyes. “You have my guildmates and I trapped as prisoners in this god-forsaken hell hole. I'll do whatever it takes to protect their lives,” he stated evenly, sternly, determinedly. “Even kill you. Now what's happening to Axel? Tell me.”

Guard struggled for a moment before uttering a loud gasp, “H-he's going to be used as an offering.”

“Offering?” Jhon questioned as he furrowed his brow. “Offering for what? Are you planning on killing him?”

“L-lord Ronaldo is planning on transferring his soul in the empty shell of magical armour and then summon the soul of his beloved to inhabit his physical body.”

“What?!” Jhon yelled in shock, his eyes widening in fear.

Shit shit shit shit! He couldn’t let that happen!

“Jhon!”

“Tobyn?” Jhon muttered as he released his hold on the guard, the man falling to the floor in a slump and the chains rattled as they fell away. He turned around, only to have a pair of arms suddenly around his neck and a familiar warmth pressed against his.

Jhon sighed with intense relief as he wrapped his arms around Tobyn’s waist and rested his chin against his shoulder. He looked behind his survivalist to see three more familiar faces, all of them physically unharmed, no injuries insight.

“Jeez, Jhon,” Macerio mumbled as Tobyn suddenly pulled away from Jhon and reached for his wrists, no doubt to remove the steel cuffs that were still tightly held around them. “You sure totalled this lot.”

Jhon didn’t attempt to explain anything, he simply ran his gaze over his frightened teammates once more. He quickly counted heads; Tobyn, Macerio, Lynus, Magnus; they were all accounted for. “Is everyone ok?”

“We’re physically fine,” Lynus was the one to answer with a weak smile as he moved to stand by Tobyn and looked at Jhon’s wrists, softly uttering a healing spell to heal the bruising of the skin.

Jhon watched as Lynus healed his wrists, his heart in his throat. He couldn’t tell him what he had learnt. But…he probably already knew himself.

A loud noise, one that could only be described as a tremendous explosion caused the floor, walls, and ceiling to tremble around them and they instantly fell into defensive stances. Small pieces of debris fell from the ceiling above their heads as Lynus instinctively reached out to pull Magnus toward him while Tobyn did the same with Macerio, and Jhon made the motion to shield them with his arms.

But that noise and subsequent explosion…sounded and felt familiar.

“What now?” Macerio asked with a slight whimper in his voice.

Lynus touched his temple with his left hand and closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating. “…It’s Hamza and Shen,” he suddenly said as he eyes snapped open and he gazed up at the ceiling above them. “Lirit, Rahas, Chi-hung…they’re all here. I think…Shen just annihilated the entrance. Escaping should be easier now.”

“I’m sure Hamza is just as pissed,” Tobyn muttered under his breath.

It was reassuring that help had arrived and was coming for them, but there was still one more person in danger. And he’s very life was on the line.

Jhon reached out to take Tobyn by the shoulder and turned him toward him. “Tobyn, take Magnus and Macerio and meet up with Hamza and Shen. Lynus and I will find Axel.”

Tobyn looked startled for a moment, a protest no doubt on the tip of his tongue. However, he held it back and nodded his head slowly, an expression of understanding in his eyes. “…Right,” he said before he turned away from him to face the others. “Let’s go, you two. Magnus, if anyone gets in our way, don’t be afraid to hurt them. They deserve it.”

Magnus simply nodded his head, no hesitation in his eyes. “Ok.”

“Be careful, guys,” Macerio said as the three of them moved away from them, toward the loud rumblings in the distance.

Jhon watched them until they were out of sight before turning his attention to their medic. “Lynus?” he asked softly, now realising how pale and drawn he truly was.

Lynus didn’t attempt to smile, to reassure him. He just swallowed thickly and whispered, “He’s fading, Jhon.”

Jhon drew in a sharp intake of air through his nose and took Lynus by the arm. “…He’s waiting for us. Let’s go. I’ll take out anyone in our way.”

“Yes.”

… … … … …

Axel gritted his teeth as sweat beaded across his brow. His body was aching, in such a way he had never felt before. His arms hurt from the constant tension. His wrist burned where he was bound. His back ached against the hard stone altar. His entire body was twitching from the sheer pain of it all.

It was...it was hard to hold on. All he wanted was to sleep. But he couldn't. He wouldn't give that...that bastard any kind of leverage.

Lynus and the others, he was worried about them. Worried about Lynus being held hostage again by a delusional lord. But he could tell that he wasn't playing the fragile hostage. None of them were. He could hear them. He could hear his guildmates. He could feel the trembling of the building. They were fighting back. And they were getting destructive.

They would...find him, soon. 

He just needed to hold on for a little longer.

Axel tried to supress a wince when he heard loud footsteps echo around him. He could barely see straight, but he knew a pair of those grey-robed fuckers just entered the room (ritual chamber?). He wasn’t in the mood in fending them off right now. In fact, he doubted that he could. That…that was probably why they were hurriedly approaching him.

But then…a gentle and comforting hand suddenly rested against his forehead. “God, Axel.”

Axel’s eyes immediately widened at the familiar voice and he desperately turned his head to the side. “Lynus?” he croaked out when he spied the beautiful tangerine head, leaning over him with a worried look on his face. But he was unharmed. Even with Axel’s blurry vision, he could see no marks marring his face.

Thank the gods for that.

His relief grew further when he recognised the man with the short blond hair that paused near his head. “Jhon. Fuck, are you two all right?”

“Don't worry about us,” Lynus immediately replied in a comforting way as Jhon attempted to untie the rope bounding his wrists together. “Worry about yourself for once.”

Axel felt himself slump against the stone altar, absolutely exhausted as Lynus continue to run his fingers through his hair, uttering soft healing spells under his breath as Jhon hurriedly untied his bindings. “The others?”

“They’re fine,” Jhon answered quickly. “Raising hell.”

“What in the world is all of this?” Lynus asked with a slight tremor in his voice as he skittishly looked around at their surroundings, his gaze stilling upon the form of the suit of armour situated on the other stone altar.

“Ritual to raise the dead,” Axel muttered before he sighed in relief when Jhon finally pulled the ropes away from his wrists. “The usual.”

Lynus made a soft sound of distress, yet he seemed to understand immediately. “I see,” he murmured before taking Axel’s wrists in his two hands and healing the rope burns. After he did that, he focused his attention on his shoulders, offering a few soothing healing spells there, too.

With both Lynus and Jhon’s help, Axel forced himself to sit up, though it took an ungodly amount of strength to do so. He then had to rely heavily on the two of them as he moved to slip his legs over the side of the altar. Even with their support when he tried to stand up on his own two feet, his legs immediately buckled beneath him, crumbling to the ground, nearly taking both Lynus and Jhon with him.

“Shit,” Jhon muttered as he hastily readjusted his hold on him, hoisting his arm further over his shoulder to take more of his weight, grabbing his wrist tightly as he wound his other arm around Axel’s waist. “What did he do to you?”

“Drained him of his strength.”

The darkly haunting voice caused the three of them to utter noises of surprise and they immediately turned in the direction the voice radiated from. They stayed huddled together, Jhon keeping Axel firmly pressed against his side as Lynus pressed himself against Axel’s chest. The three of them backed away from the stone altar as Ronaldo suddenly appeared from the dark shadows of the chamber, his expression wild with unadulterated rage.

“You will all pay for your insubordination,” he stated in a slow, infuriated manner, his presence more fearsome than before. “I assure you.”

Axel gritted his teeth as Lynus pressed himself closer to him and Jhon tightened his grip. He hadn’t a clue what else Ronaldo could do, but with Lynus and Jhon using all their strength to keep him upright, they won’t be able to fight back…

This was bad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m still not feeling all that well, but I really wanted to get this chapter done and posted :3 You’ll probably understand why when you get to the end of this update. Also, I want to try to write some fluffy Lynus ficcies, so if you have a suggestion, don’t be afraid to let me know. Either way, hope you enjoy reading!

“At what point did you think rebelling was a good idea?” Ronaldo spat as he stormed toward them.

Axel gritted his teeth in frustration and fatigue as he relied heavily on Jhon to move them to stand behind the altar, in effort to keep some distance between them. “You haven't won yet,” he managed to bite out.

“We need to get out of this chalk circle,” Lynus suddenly mentioned as he looked down at the ground with a frown. “It’s a curse. I can feel it.”

“Right,” Jhon said as his attention briefly turned away from Ronaldo to do a quick survey of their surroundings, searching for the best escape point.

“Even if you manage to drag that dead weight out of the circle, the damage has already been done,” Ronaldo said as a crooked, almost maniacal smile appeared on his face and he continued to approach them. “None of you are in any condition to fight me, an unknown threat.”

Axel couldn’t help but wince at that. It was unfortunately true. He was a dead weight and if he was to guess anything about the curse or hex or whatever the hell it was, it’ll take a few days for him to recover from it.

Without warning, there was a loud explosion above their heads, causing debris to fall from the ceiling and their surroundings to tremble violently. Axel winced again, but he also felt a sense of relief. He knew what that noise was. He had heard it a few times before. Not many people knew how destructively violent Shen could be when the need called for it.

Ronaldo abruptly paused in his steps and looked up at the ceiling in bewilderment. “That sound?”

“That’s the sound of our guildmates raising hell,” Jhon readily informed him.

Ronaldo snapped his attention back toward them, his eyes abnormally wide with disbelief and fury. “They’ll never get past my devoted followers!”

Jhon snorted lightly as he continued to focus on putting distance between them. “They have so far, right?”

“You might have to do some renovating once they’re through with this place,” Lynus added as he subtly continued to offer Axel relieving healing.

Though Axel’s sight wasn’t the best due to the curse still affecting him, he could still see that Ronaldo’s bloodshot eyes somehow managed to widen further, inhuman like. And his attention suddenly focused in on Lynus…

“And to think that a medic is behind this all,” he hissed as his robe unexpectedly fell away to pool at his ankles and to reveal tattered clothes and thick metal chains that were securely fashioned with a bell. Those robes now resembled that of a hexer, the ones that were commonly seen around Lagaard.

Shit, he truly was a hexer?

A long torn piece of Ronaldo’s hexer robes suddenly rose up, like that of a snake and the shadows of the room grew ominously darker. That coil of robe suddenly shot forward. Lynus barely made a sound when the piece of hexer fabric wrapped around his wrist, snaring him tightly before abruptly pulling back. The force was so suddenly that it caused him to lurch forward toward him unwillingly and stumble over his own feet.

“No!” Axel yelled as Lynus was pulled from his grasp. “Don’t hurt him!”

“Shit,” Jhon cursed lowly under his breath as Lynus was dragged across the floor and dropped harshly by Ronaldo’s feet.

Lynus tried to quickly scramble back to his feet when Ronaldo lashed out to grab him by his wrist with his hand. He then lifted Lynus up off the floor by his arm, lifting him high enough that his feet were barely touching the floor. Lynus winced as he reached up with his other hand to grab at Ronaldo’s own wrist, trying to pull himself free.

Axel felt his heartrate increase substantially. He was panicking. He didn’t know what to do. He could barely stand on his own, so how the hell would be able to fight back? God fucking damn it!

“I may have underestimated you, but you’ve still made a terrible mistake,” Ronaldo sneered as Lynus tried desperately to tug back his arm. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Momentarily pausing in his struggling, Lynus uncharacteristically sent him a hateful glare. “I’ve met people like you before and I’ve had absolutely no tolerance for them!” He suddenly lashed out with his leg, kicking with his foot against the side of Ronaldo’s knee as hard as he could.

What followed was the sicking sound of bone scraping against bone and a pain filled shriek. The force of Lynus’ kick, aimed at just the right point, was enough to cause Ronaldo’s leg to bend at an odd and highly painful manner. When he shrieked in utter pain, he released his hold on Lynus’ wrist, causing him to fall back onto the floor.

“You wretched little gremlin!” Ronaldo screamed in an inhuman manner as he also fell to the floor, his hands immediately reaching out to his twisted, misshapen leg.

Lynus didn’t stay long on the ground, though. He quickly sprung back up and quickly made his way back over to where Axel and Jhon were. Axel felt such relief when Lynus immediately pressed himself back against his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around his waist.

“Nice shot,” Axel murmured for the sake of it.

“Not now,” Lynus said in return as he tried to steer the three of them away from Ronaldo’s reach. “He’s spiralling further into madness. I don’t know what he’ll do next.”

As soon as those words slipped passed Lynus’ lips, there was another nauseating sound. As if someone had roughly grinded two bones together.

Axel shot his attention back to Ronaldo to find that he had somehow managed to straighten his leg back out and was trying to push himself back to his feet. His shoulders were trembling, though, either from panting from the pain of what he just did. Or he was so utterly enraged that he was literally seething.

“Well,” Ronaldo murmured in a chilling way as he pushed himself to his feet, his shoulders hunched forward and head leaning forward, turned in such a way that only one narrow eye was visible. “You're full of surprises aren't you? What other hidden talents do you have? Maybe you can actually kill a man. Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

Lynus winced but made no attempt to reply, instead subconsciously pressed himself closer against Axel’s chest as he stared at the obviously insane man.

“Heh,” Ronaldo chuckled mirthlessly as he took a stumbling step forward, his tattered robes curling around him like there were actually alive, as if the robes themselves was some kind of a living creature. “I doubt you have the knowledge to kill me.”

But as Ronaldo attempted to take another step forward, there was another loud explosion, far closer than the previous one. Fire and splinters of wood and mortar shot across the room from one corner, no doubt the doorway, momentarily hindering everyone’s vision.

When the dust settled a few moments, a familiar figure could be seen standing in the middle of the debris pile.

It was Shen. And right behind him was Chi-hung and Hamza. Chi-hung with his head down, claws unsheathed, and growling loudly, even over the thuds of falling debris. And Hamza was beside him, sword at the ready and his expression creased into a fearsome look that Axel hadn’t witness before.

And behind them…was everyone else. Every single member of the Guardians Guild. Hell, even Rahas, though it was likely he only came because of Lynus.

“Axel!?”

Axel felt light-headed from relief as the others of his guild rushed toward him. Tobyn, Macerio, and Magnus among them. And they appeared to be unharmed. Not a bruise to be seen anyway. In fact, they looked perfectly fine, thank goodness. Macerio and Tobyn even had their weapons with them, no doubt given to them by someone else.

“Heh, raising hell without me?” Axel asked as they encircled him protectively, something he himself had never experienced before. But he knew, nonetheless, that he was safe. No matter what happened next.

“Well, what did you expect us to do?” Macerio said in response to his tired, amused quip. “Wait around?”

Axel gave a half smile as Lynus and Jhon helped to lower him to the ground, letting his back rest against a wall behind him. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and rest his head back against the wall. He wanted so desperately to fall asleep, but knew that he couldn’t. Though he felt safe, that Ronaldo was still dangerous.

He instead watched with half-lidded eyes as Lirit and Rahas immediately tried to get Lynus’ attention, asking him if he was ok and if that man did anything to him. They appeared to be almost frantic, no doubt extremely worried about Lynus’ state of mind after being held captive by an overly fanatical lord once more. But Lynus could only answer them in quick, short reassurances as he refused to leave Axel’s side, kneeling as close to him as possible.

There was no doubt that Lynus would do what he could to comfort and reassure the two of them later. Once they got themselves out of this shithole and somewhere safe.

“What’s happening to him?” Hamza asked as he knelt in front of Axel, his expression professionally stoic, but he couldn’t hide the concern and worry in his voice.

“A curse,” Lynus replied quickly as he focused his entire attention on Axel solely, chewing absentmindedly on his bottom lip. “I need my bag.”

Lirit suddenly pushed his way between Lynus and Hamza, pushing a familiar medical bag directly into Lynus’ arms. “Here, I knew you would want this.”

Lynus released a sigh of relief as he immediately grasped his bag and placed it on the ground next to him. “Thank you,” he said as he gave Lirit a truly grateful smile and flipped over the flap of his bag with his other hand.

“S-sure,” Lirit uttered in response, though he seemed to swallow thickly from guilt. “It was…all I could do,” he muttered. “I brought Tobyn and Macerio their weapons, b-but I obviously couldn’t even pick up Axel’s…”

Axel gave the troubadour a half smile when Lirit turned to look guiltily at him as well. “You’ve done more than I have,” he said simply as Lynus hastily dug around in his bag.

Lirit tried to smile back at him, but visibly winced and made the motion to shield Lynus in some way when Ronaldo uttered a shrilled sound of pure annoyance and disbelief.

“You got past my guards? How?”

Hamza’s expression darkened considerably as he pushed himself to his feet and turned around the face Ronaldo, standing with his legs planted firmly on the ground and at the forefront of the group. “That is really quite a stupid question. You are fortunate that this place is still standing.”

Ronaldo violently twitched as the other armed members of the guild positioned themselves in a semi-circle in front of where Axel was slouched on the ground, Lynus and Lirit now on either side of him, and Jhon close by, ready to physically help him move if the situation called for it.

“To think the leader of the Guardian Guild would cause such damage,” Ronaldo hissed lowly, almost disbelievingly.

The grip Hamza had around the hilt of his sword audibly tightened. “Let me make two things perfectly clear. One, no one is allowed to harm any of my guildmates. Two, absolutely no one is allowed to harm any of my guildmates. Do not force my hand; you won’t like what will happen.”

Axel pulled his attention away from the maniac in the centre of the room to look at Lynus instead when he heard him mutter something under his breath.

“This should work,” he said as he hastily mixed two bottles together and shifted onto his knees to move a little closer to him. “Can you drink it?”

Axel nodded his head. Thankfully, he was still able to swallow. Lynus had to hold the bottle up to his lips, though, as he wasn’t sure he had the strength in his arm to hold the bottle securely.

As he finished off the bottle, he was relieved to note that the effects were almost immediate. He felt his chest lighten and his breathing became easier. His vision also rapidly improved and he his limbs didn’t feel as heavy. He was still beyond exhausted; no bottle of medicine could fix that. But he was feeling better than he had been.

Even the littlest amount of movement was far better than what he had just experienced.

“How do you feel?” Lynus asked him softly as he set the empty bottle aside carelessly.

“Much better,” Axel answered truthfully. “I can see now.”

Lynus’ shoulders sagged with relief and he abruptly pushed forward to wrap his arms around Axel’s neck and to cradle his head against his chest, hugging him tightly. Axel closed his eyes for a moment as he managed to snake an arm around Lynus’ waist, returning the reassuring and comforting embrace.

“Stop removing my curses, you wretched filth!”

Both Axel and Lynus winced at the wail, but didn’t pull away from each other as they turned their attention back to their still very dangerous situation.

“Oi, would you shut up?” Macerio yelled back at him. “You’ve lost!”

“No!” Ronaldo suddenly and wildly shrilled as his hexer robes coiled around him, reacting to his rage. “It’s not over! This is far from over! I will have him! And I will kill anyone who gets in my way! I am Lord Ronaldo! I am invincible!”

…He was also spiralling deeper into madness.

Tobyn suddenly made a noise of realisation and he took a half step forward. “Now I remember why your name sounded familiar. Ronaldo, Lord of Darkshire Manor was a man obsessed with defying death, but he went missing over a hundred years ago. Lord Ronaldo should be dead.”

Ronaldo unexpectedly stilled, his eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at them. He then chuckled lowly, manically. “Should be,” he said as he grinned an impossibly wide grin. “But I’m not.”

Macerio hunched his shoulders slight in trepidation. “That’s…that’s not possible, right?” he murmured.

Lynus unconsciously trembled as he moved closer toward Axel, as if seeking protection. “You exchanged your soul for the powers of a hexer, didn’t you?” he asked, his attention directed at Ronaldo. “Hexers are made, not born.”

That horrid grin on Ronaldo’s face abruptly faded and he sent Lynus a chilling glare. “You’re annoyingly smart, aren’t you?”

“You gained immortality by dying?” Hamza summarised. “How ironic.”

“Don’t sass me, loathsome pest,” Ronaldo spat before he started to pace back and forth, his movements erratic and jerky, completely unbalanced. Physically and mentally it seemed.

“We need to be careful,” Lynus whispered. “Self-made hexers are more dangerous than those who were forced. And he’s clearly lost his mind.”

“No!” Ronaldo suddenly shrieked again before lurching forward to clutch at his head. “No…How could this have happened? It was supposed to be perfect! Now everything’s ruined! How could I lose like this? One hundred years…wasted…”

Everyone immediately felt uneasy. He was obviously losing whatever grip of sanity he had left. He was completely and utterly unpredictable now. And an unpredictable hexer was not something to be taken lightly.

“What should we do?” Shen was heard muttering to Hamza as he positioned his katana in a drawing stance.

Hamza hesitated in answering for a moment. “We have no choice but to stop him permanently,” he replied grimly.

“Understood.”

Without any warning, Ronaldo began to chuckle lowly. “Heh, wait...there is still time. Yes. This should be enough. He's too weak to fight back now. A slight modification, but it should still work. Oh yes. It’s perfect. Just perfect.” He abruptly threw his head back as he shrieked a completely deranged laugh. “This was going to be a private show, but I am glad that we have an audience now!”

“Why are you doing this?” Hamza asked.

Ronaldo continued to laugh and shriek as he made his way over to the suit of armour that lay silently on the other stone altar. “Oh, you want me to explain? I think it would better if I showed a demonstration!”

Ronaldo reached into his robes to pull out a short knife of eccentric design. He then pulled out something that was a bone white in colour. Axel quickly surmised that it was a piece of bone when he heard Lynus draw in a sharp intake of air.

Before anyone could react, Ronaldo placed the bone atop of the armour, where a red crystal was situated. He then abruptly raised the knife above his head and frantically brought down, stabbing the knife into the piece of bone and into the crystal. As he did this, a string of words Axel could not understand hastily tumbled from his mouth. A dark, shadowy mist seemed to seep from his hand, it ghosting across the armour, almost as if it was forming unfathomable words before abruptly being pulled into the armour.

With a wild, satisfactory grin on his face, Ronaldo took a step back. “The spell has been cast and cannot be undone!”

After his louder than previous shrill, there was nothing but silence. A painful, unbearable silence before…the slight clanking of metal. The sound that one would make whenever they wore a full suit of armour. Axel wasn’t sure, but he was pretty certain that the hand on the suit of armour just moved.

Abruptly, and clankingly, the armour sat up on the altar.

A few of the others uttered sounds of surprise and disbelief as the armour jerkily moved off of the altar and onto its feet. It continued to twitch and seemingly wither as Ronaldo practically skipped around it joyfully and with a sense of triumphant.

“Within this armour lays the soul of my Beloved,” he eagerly explained as he quickly made his way to a sword that was hanging on the wall and removed it from its sheath. “And with this sword, he’ll stab that landsknecht and trade places with him. My Beloved will inhabit that perfect specimen and return to life. It’s perfect! Defying death. It’s so easy.”

“Shit,” Hamza cursed as he drew his sword and held it in a defensive position. “Get Axel out of here!”

Jhon immediately picked Axel up off the floor, all but lifting him up off the ground.

“Go on, take him away!” Ronaldo cackled as he placed the sword into the hand of the armour. “My Beloved will just have to kill everyone and anyone to get to him. Lagaard will never see him coming!”

Axel felt his heat leap into his throat when the suit of armour took hold of the sword, the metal gauntlet tightening around it with a telling creak. It then took a staggering step forward. Then another. And another.

Hamza and Shen immediately stood defensively in front of him, both of their weapons raised defensively. And positioned just behind them, Tobyn and Macerio immediately raised their own weapons, aiming directly at the approaching armour.

But the arrows and bullets bounced harmlessly off the armour, not slowing its advance for even a second. Even as Magnus tried desperately to freeze it to the spot by aiming a spell at its feet and legs. The armour easily broke through the ice by taking a step forward, and as it did so, raised the sword above its head, ready to bring it down upon anyone in front of it.

“It…doesn’t have the same limitations as a person,” Hamza murmured with his jaw clenched tightly.

It…it wasn’t stopping! They…they couldn’t do anything!

Suddenly, Lynus pulled himself away from Axel’s side and sprinted forward, past everyone to the front, squeezing past them before they could reach out to stop him. Axel felt his heart almost stop beating when Lynus placed himself directly in front of the suit of armour.

“Lionel, stop!” Lynus yelled before anyone had the chance to grab him and pull him back to safety. “You don’t want to do this!”

Surprisingly, the suit of armour came to an abruptly stop, the sword stilling above its head.

“You’re too kind to hurt anyone,” Lynus continued, as if he knew who or what he was talking to and reached into his coat to pull out a worn, tattered book. “I found your journal. You helped me to escape. To help the others. The opening in the wall, remember?”

The armour seemed to…twitch at that.

“I…I also know what Ronaldo did to you. How he hurt you. He caused you so much pain. I’m sorry you have to go through that all alone. But you can stop this. Only you can stop Ronaldo from hurting anymore people. You were once regarded as Lagaard’s strongest landsknecht. A person’s true strength never fades.”

Everyone held their breaths as Lynus hugged the book against his chest.

“Please,” he whispered. “Don’t let him take Axel away from me.”

…The armour unexpectedly lowered the sword harmlessly to its side.

“Silence!” Ronaldo yelled as he stormed forward, toward Lynus. “How dare you think for a moment that you can speak to my Beloved like that? You understand nothing.” He then turned to the suit of armour and all but purred. “My Lionel, I only did what was best for you. We can be together for all of eternity.”

The armour was still, eerily silent for a long moment, and no one dared to move. But then it abruptly lurched and embedded the sword deep into-!

“W-what?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second last chapter to this mini-series~ I’d like to do more guys-in-distress stories actually :3 Have to wait and see I guess. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Lynus clutched the old, torn diary against his chest as he took a half step back. He stared wide eyed as the animated armour and at the long, silver sword that was gripped tightly in two metal gauntlets. And that sword pieced completely through Ronaldo's abdomen, the long blade easily protruding through the other side.

Despite the significance of the injury, there was little blood to be seen. Only a light smear on the sword itself.

With his own eyes wide and unblinking, Ronaldo released a gurgled gasp as his body lurched forward slightly, as if convulsing. However, he suddenly and hastily pushed aside the metal gauntlets and held onto the hilt of the sword as he staggered back before falling down onto one knee, coughing up a few specks of blood onto the floor in front of him.

The armour also reacted, jerking and convulsing backwards suddenly, its two hands rising up toward the helmet, almost as if it was staring at them in completely shock.

"N-no," a familiar voice suddenly emanated from the armour.

A strange tingling sensation raced up Lynus’ spine and he spun around to look at Ronaldo, only to watch with a grimace as he pulled the sword out of his own abdomen with a sicking sticky sound and used it as a crutch to force himself to his feet.

Ronaldo’s eyes were narrow as he unsteady took to his feet. However…they weren’t the eyes of madness. They were no longer dark and foreboding. They were…bright blue.

He wasn’t…he wasn’t Ronaldo. T-the body was that of Ronaldo, but the soul inhabiting it wasn’t.

It was…

“L-Lionel?” Lynus whispered as his arms hugged the diary tighter against his chest.

The man with the bright blue eyes flickered over in Lynus’ direction and gave him a soft, but highly significant nod of his head. He glanced back over at the twitching suit of armour and then parted his lips, and a voice that was the complete opposite of the egocentric shrills of Ronaldo came through. “After all these years, you still haven’t changed a bit.”

The suit of armour twitched violently as it turned toward the soul inhabiting Ronaldo’s body. “W-what are you...?”

Pulling his new body into a stance that was akin to a confident landsknecht, Lionel held the sword easily in one hand as he shook his head in an almost disgusted manner. “I once regarded you as a dear friend, but now I know better.”

Lynus found himself taking another step back in surprise. There was no mistaking it what had happened, but he was shocked nonetheless. By how easily Lionel was able to swap places with Ronaldo. But…

“What?” Hamza asked as he placed a hand on Lynus’ shoulder and pulled him back abruptly, placing himself half in front of him as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with his other hand. “What’s happening now?”

“Lionel is now inhabiting Ronaldo’s body,” Lynus explained as he turned his gaze from the now blue-eyed man with the long silver sword to the old suit of armour. “And Ronaldo’s consciousness is…now in that suit of armour.”

“That’s…right,” Lionel replied as he kept his gaze firmly on the armour. “Though I loath to have anything to do with this vile creature, it was…the only way.”

Lynus continued to look at the man with wide eyes and clutched the diary tighter in his grip. “B-but, wasn’t the offering supposed to be weakened?”

Lionel nodded his head sharply and his eyes narrowed slightly. “Mentally, yes. Not physically. Besides, self-born hexers tend to have a weak grasp on reality.”

“Why would you do this to me?!” Ronaldo’s voice suddenly shrilled from the helmet of the armour.

“I’ll take it from here, gentle medic,” Lionel said as he moved to purposely place himself in front of Lynus, between him and Ronaldo. “Stand back now.”

Lynus kept his gaze on Lionel as Hamza pulled him back toward the others before he turned around completely and immediately made his way back to Axel, his redhead half pushing away from Jhon to drag Lynus into his embrace.

“Don’t you ever do anything like that again!” he said as he pressed his face against the side of Lynus’ neck.

Though he didn’t mean to frighten him more than he already had been, Lynus felt a slight sense of comfort in the firmness of Axel’s grip. His physical strength was slowly returning. “Hopefully I won’t have to,” he said as he rested himself against his chest.

“Who’s Lionel?” Axel asked as he kept a secure arm around Lynus’ waist, refusing to let him go for even a second. “What’s going on?”

Lynus sighed as he twisted slightly in Axel’s hold to look over at the man in the sword that was staring down the suit of armour. He grasped at the front of Axel’s shirt and pressed himself closer into his chest as he drew in a sharp breath.

“Lionel was a powerful landsknecht that lived over a hundred years ago,” he explained, telling all within the group. “But he came down with a mysterious illness and Ronaldo, playing the part as his friend, promised to help him recover. However, Ronaldo was the one behind Lionel’s illness, poisoning him into order to keep him in his manor, virtually as his prisoner so he could have him all to himself. Lionel…realised what he was doing, but it was too late.”

Lionel’s back tensed at the words before he seemed to twitch in bitter realisation. Or perhaps it was from the memories of that time. “Yes, that’s right.”

Lynus felt his heart immediately go out for the other man. “You…used the last of your strength to find a way to escape in hopes that if Ronaldo should try to take another prisoner that they would be able to escape, to do what you weren’t allowed to do?”

“I’m…” Lionel murmured before he turned his head to look over his shoulder, over at Lynus. No, at Axel. “I’m glad that I was able to help another in need. Even if it took me so long to do so.”

“Why?!” Ronaldo began to shrill loudly again, causing everyone to abruptly turn their attention to him once more. “Why would you do this?! I loved you!”

“Please stop saying that,” Lionel unexpectedly spat. “You have no idea what love is. Only lust and obsession.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way! It doesn’t have to be this way!”

“All you've ever done is think about yourself,” Lionel coldly replied as he twisted his borrowed body so that he could grip the sword with both hands and took a slight step forward. “And for that, I have no choice. Though this body is weak and frail, and utterly useless, I will not allow you to hurt anyone else. Won't tear apart those who love one another. Not again. If this takes me to hell, I'll gladly drag you there myself!”

With a speed and skill true to that of a highly trained landsknecht, Lionel rushed forward and aimed the sword at the red crystal in the centre of the breast plate. The long silver sword pierced the gemstone easily, straight in the very centre.

Ronaldo in the suit of armour immediately stilled, his hands held up around Lionel in a manner that gave the impression that he was completely and utterly surprised and shocked by what happened. By what Lionel had done. To him.

“May you suffer in the lowest pits of hell,” Lionel hissed lowly before he harshly twisted the sword, causing the red quartz crystal to shatter.

An ungodly wail of pain, fear, and utter unworldly terror radiated from the armour before an eerily dark mist began to seep from every hem and opening within the armour, swirling around it in a manic manner. The mist then abruptly dissipated. It didn’t drift away, it simply…disappeared. And the armour began to fall apart, piece by piece.

Dropping the sword, Lionel stumbled back before he fell onto the ground, landing on his back. He panted heavily and loudly as he stared up at the ceiling. And as he laid there, blood began to flow from the wound in his abdomen and pool around him.

Though highly cautious, Lynus still wanted to help the man, to heal the injury. He wasn’t like Ronaldo, after all. He was…completely different. “I might be able to heal him…” he murmured to himself.

“No,” Lionel suddenly said as he raised a hand in Lynus’ direction. “It’s…all right.”

“You could live as a hexer.”

Lionel shook his head adamantly. “No. Not in this body. It’s for the best. I can…finally be free.” He slowly lolled his head to the side to look over at Axel once more and…beckoned him over to him. “Axel.”

Despite the trepidation and uncertainty of what was happening, what had happened, Axel pushed forward slightly, and with both Lynus and Jhon aiding him, they made their way over to Lionel and helped Axel to drop to his knees next to him. Jhon stood up, but stayed just behind Axel as Lynus lingered by his side.

“You feel…familiar,” Lionel murmured as he held his hand out toward Axel, his blue eyes narrowing slightly in a contemplating manner. “Ah, perhaps you are the descendant of my brother. He was…a landsknecht, too. In Etria. Does Etria still exist?”

Axel stared at the hand for a moment, no doubt uneasy by the fact that it once belonged to the one who caused so much pain. However, he soon raised one of his own and held onto the Lionel’s outstretched hand. “Yes.”

“A-ah, good,” Lionel murmured, his breathing becoming more laboured as an expression of subtle pain and guilt appeared on his face. “I fought with my brother before I came here to Lagaard. Such a foolish fight. I…regret it still.”

Not knowing how to respond, Axel simply nodded his head and prompted him to continue.

Lionel coughed for a few moments, specks of lips appearing on his lips but he continued nonetheless. “You have my brother’s eyes, you know. I was able to feel you when you were in that cursed circle. I was able to hear your thoughts, feel your concern, and I felt your determination.”

“You were here the whole time?” Axel asked softly.

“Ah, yes, unfortunately,” Lionel replied with a slight shudder. “I was once regarded as the strongest landsknecht in High Lagaard. But…I was foolish. I worked on only physical strength. Nothing else. Nothing else mattered.” He tightened his hand around Axel’s. “I’m glad to see that you haven’t made the same mistake as I.”

Everyone stayed quiet, listening and watching with a sense of caution as Lionel continued to talk. Lynus, however, knew that Lionel was no threat. And there were a strange sense of…truth to his words. The regret was palpable.

“Strength of character. Strength of heart. Strength of faith. You have all that. And so much more. Strength doesn’t mean a thing unless it’s for someone else. You believe in your companions, and they in turn believe in you. Companionship was something I didn’t understand until it was too late.”

Lynus felt tears sting at his eyes as Axel swallowed thickly. “D-do you have to go?” he murmured so softly.

“It’s for the best,” Lionel murmured as a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. “Perhaps I can see my brother again. Do you think he’s waiting for me?”

“Yes,” Axel immediately answered. “Yes, of course he is. Everyone is.”

A small, soft smile appeared on Lionel’s lips as he turned his gaze toward the ceiling. He seemed…content.

A loud rumble suddenly echoed through the area and the sound of breaking wood and falling debris quickly followed. The roof…appeared to be collapsing in on them! B-but why? Surely the others weren’t that destructive in their desperation to get to Axel?

“W-what’s happening?” Lynus asked as he crouched near Axel, his redhead immediately wrapping an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to protect him from any falling debris.

“You must flee this place,” Lionel said as he sat up and somehow pushed himself to his feet. He kept a hold of Axel’s hand, though, and pulled him up to stand as well. He then looked him straight in the eyes. “With Ronaldo now gone, his volatile power was what was keeping this decaying building from collapsing. Quickly now. Go. I’ll ensure that this wretched body is never reborn.”

Lionel then abruptly released his hold on Axel’s hand and turned toward the shadowy darkness that gathered in the corners of the room.

“W-wait,” Axel murmured.

Before he disappeared into the shadows, Lionel paused and turned to Axel, and offered him one last smile. “Stay forever strong, Axel.”

He then disappeared from sight.

“Everyone, quickly,” Hamza said, returning everyone to the severity of their situation. “Shen, Jhon, take Axel. Chi-hung, lead the way. Lirit, stay with Lynus.”

“Right!”

Lynus was understandably reluctant to leave Axel’s side, and his landsknecht was reluctant to let him go. But Lynus was nowhere near as strong as Jhon or Shen, and it would be better for Axel and everyone if he stayed out of the way. He was glad, though, when Lirit took his hand in his and immediately pulled him along.

He kept his gaze on the ground before him, trusting in Lirit to lead him to safety, while ensuring that he didn’t trip over anything and pull the both of them into danger. In all honesty, though, Lynus registered little of his surroundings. He just ran alongside Lirit, hoping that no one would get hurt, and trusting that Jhon and Shen would get Axel to safety.

The bright oranges and purples of sunset as they rushed through the front entrance was a welcoming sight.

As they hurried past the front courtyard, a loud, bone-rattling crash reverberated around them. Instinctively, everyone pulled together in a group, to shield one another for any possible impact.

But, thankfully, none came.

Silently, barely able to properly grasp the situation, they all turned to look back at the building they had just escaped. They stood still, unwilling to move, and just stared at the crumbled remains of a once grand manor house. Loud creaks and groans of wood and mortar continued to echo through the area as small plumes of smoke and dust wafting into the air.

The building…had been completely destroyed. It literally collapsed in on itself.

Could a single person’s dark magic have that much power? Power to hold up an entire manor?

Did…did the crumble remains signify that Ronaldo was gone? For good.

“I remember now,” Jhon whispered as he kept Axel’s arm around his shoulder, keeping him up against his side. “The curse of Darkshire manor was a story they used to tell children to keep them inside at night.”

Tobyn moved to stand by Jhon’s other side, his eyes focused on the dishevelled remains. “If you went out into the woods after dark, Lord Ronaldo would snatch you up and no one would ever see you again. Monsters haunt the labyrinth. Ronaldo haunted the dark woods. That’s what they used to say.”

“To think it was true…” Jhon whispered.

Lynus abruptly ripped his gaze away from the place of unspeakable torture and immediately made his way to Axel. He pushed himself suddenly against his chest and wrapped his arms around his waist as he rested his cheek against his shoulder. “You can rest now. Everything is alright.”

Axel’s eyes slowly closed and he abruptly fainted from the stress of everything, his mind and body finally relaxing now the he knew for sure that everyone was safe.

… … … … …

Lynus sat on the edge of Axel’s bed and gazed at his sleeping redhead. Only a few hours have passed since they fled from that Darkshire Manor and despite how late in the night it was, he hadn’t gotten any sleep. He couldn’t bring himself to. He may have had a minute or two here or there, but nothing substantial. He just wanted…to make sure Axel was all right.

He wanted to check on the others to ensure that they hadn’t received any injuries during the whole fiasco, but they insisted that he focused on Axel entirely. And, well, he was a little grateful for that.

Softly, Lynus brushed back a few strands of Axel’s hair from his forehead, taking the moment to inspect his aura as he did so. Thankfully there were no permanent dark spots and the lingering effects of the hex were fading. His exhaustion was due entirely to stress now, and that can be remedied with rest and sleep.

The mental scars, though, may take a bit longer. But that was ok. Lynus would be by his side through it all.

A few hours after their return, he had learned what had happened during the time he, along with the others, were held captive in that manor. Hamza told him how he returned to the inn after speaking with Minister Dubois at the Duke’s estate only to find Binah hysterical about what had happened. She told him how a group of strangely robed men had burst into the inn, into the tea room. They moved so quickly, their movements almost inhuman. They snatched the six of them off the floor and fled with smoke and shadows before anyone could do anything.

Nothing like that had ever happened before. Everyone was caught off guard. The inn was their safe haven. Nothing was supposed to happen there. It was a place where they could confidently let their guards down.

Hamza told him how furious Shen was when he found out, immediately set out hunting with Chi-hung in tow. How Lirit sobbed to him about how he couldn’t do a single thing. How Rahas verbally lashed out at him for not preventing this from happening. How helpless the five of them felt at not knowing who had taken Axel and the others, or why. They didn’t even know where.

So how did they manage to find them all the way out in that wilderness? It was thanks to Chi-hung’s ever powerful nose that they did. He was able to narrow in on one of their scents. Push passed the powerful smell of the sleep gas to find them. If not for him, Hamza confessed, they would not have been able to find them so quickly.

Hamza also confessed how, when they found the Darkshire Manor, he wanted to assess the situation first and cautiously make their way in. He explained with a wry smile how Shen wanted none of that. Uncharacteristically of him, he stormed forward without fear, used his katana skills to blast open the front entrance and immediately made his way inside. Hamza was a little shocked by his actions, though not surprised. He simply withdrew his own weapon and marched forward as well, along with Rahas, Lirit, and Chi-hung.

Lynus couldn’t say he was surprised by Shen’s actions either, and had to smile when told that Shen’s fury subsided only a little when Magnus appeared and clung to him.

No one was entirely sure what became of the followers and guards that resided in the manor. Did they escape when it started to crumble or did they remain inside, wishing to be with their ‘master’? Or had they come to their senses and were now wandering the woods of Lagaard lost and confused?

There were so many questions, yet they were likely to remain unanswered. Ronaldo was dead, the Darkshire Manor nothing more than a crumbled wreck of a building. No one knew it existed all that time. It was possible that no one from Ronaldo’s era was still alive; if they were they were likely hexers themselves. The probability that there was anyone left to try to help them piece together how or why this even happened was extremely low.

True closure may never come.

The one question troubled Lynus the most. Was Lionel really Axel’s ancestor? Was that the reason why he was targeted, or was it just…a coincidence?

Lynus sighed as he shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it anymore. It hurt his head too much. It also brought up unwanted and unnecessary memories and emotions that he didn’t want to waste energy entertaining.

Letting his gaze focus back in on Axel, Lynus gently ran his fingers through Axel’s hair, easing out any knots as softly as he could. Axel needed sleep. The effects of the curses were lingering, but fading all the same. His exhaustion could only be quenched through the act of sleeping. So despite of his own unease, wanting to speak with Axel, to reaffirm with him that he was feeling all right, and ask him if he felt anything unusual, Lynus left him to sleep.

He had…never seen Axel so weak and helpless before in his entire life. No one had. And it was greatly alarming to them all. It scared the living daylights out of Lynus himself.

And Axel, Lynus felt, had been effected the most.

He was so strong. His strength was one of his greatest assets in the labyrinth. To have that taken away from him…when his guild needed him…

A light tap at the door pulled Lynus from his thoughts, and for that he was grateful. He turned to the door of his room and utterly softly; “It’s open.”

Quietly, the door opened a moment later and Lirit popped his head into the room. He then pushed the door open a little more, revealing that he had a tray of food and drinks in his hands. “I brought you some something to eat,” he said as he stepped inside.

“Ah, thank you,” Lynus replied with earnest, though a little tired all the same as he allowed the orange-haired troubadour to place the tray upon the cluttered desk.

“You should try to get some rest,” Lirit told him as he turned around to give him his full attention.

“Hm,” Lynus murmured in response as his gaze drifted back to his landsknecht sleeping soundly on the bed. “I don’t think anything would be able to help with that at the moment.”

Lirit shuffled on his feet slightly. “I’ve been…keeping the others away for you. They’re worried.”

Lynus felt a small smile slip across his lips and he nodded his head slightly. “I know,” he said as he ran his fingers through Axel’s hair once more. “He’s going to be fine.”

Lirit softly placed his hand upon Lynus’ shoulder, prompting him to turn his gaze toward him, finding him looking down at him with an obvious expression of concern. “…What about you?”

“I’m fine,” Lynus responded without thought before he sighed aloud when Lirit squeezed his shoulder and Lynus gave him a somewhat sheepish smile. “…as can be, I suppose.”

Though Lirit didn’t look all that satisfied with the answer, he chose not to press him further. No doubt the talented troubadour would pull him aside later to have a chat with him over some tea, but for now, he knew that Lynus’ main priority was Axel. And he knew better than to interfere with that.

“Try to at least eat something,” Lirit said as he gave Lynus’ shoulder one last squeeze before he removed his hand.

“I will,” Lynus promised, earning himself a small smile from the other man as he turned to leave him in peace.

Before he left the room, however, Lirit paused and fidgeted for a moment, as if battling with himself. He then turned to look at Lynus once more, an expression of guilt on his face. “You’re going to have to talk to Rahas for me,” he unexpectedly said.

Lynus felt his brow furrow slightly. “Why?”

Lirit twisted his hands anxiously in front of him and chewed on his bottom lip. “We…I accidentally said something,” he whispered. “W-when Rahas was yelling at Hamza about not stopping this from happening, I said that if he actually acted like a member of the guild, then maybe he could have stopped this.”

“Lirit…”

“I-I didn’t mean to,” Lirit immediately insisted, the guilt in his gaze growing stronger as he shook his head almost franticly. “I mean-”

Lynus pushed himself to his feet and crossed the short distance between them to pull Lirit into a hug, the troubadour instantly returning the comfort by pressing his face against the curve of Lynus’ shoulder.

“It’s ok,” Lynus said as he carded his fingers through Lirit’s hand in a soothing manner. “Emotions were high, fear and uncertainty effects people in different ways. You were scared. I’ll talk to him if I can. Don’t feel bad about it.”

Lirit clung to him silently for a moment before he nodded his head and slowly pulled away. His eyes were glassy from unshed tears, but he held them back. “Ok.”

Lynus smiled gently at him, unconsciously brushing the hair from his eyes in a motherly fashion. “Now go; Macerio needs you.”

Lirit gave him a grateful smile as he nodded his head again. “Yeah.”

Lynus watched him as he left, the door falling silently shut behind him. He couldn’t help but allow a frown to grace his lips. Their sense of security had been taken away from them. It was going to take some time for them to feel that peace of mind once more.

A soft sound, like that of a small groan, immediately caused Lynus to snap his attention back to the bed. He quickly sat on the side when he realised that Axel appeared to be stirring.

“Axel?” he gently coaxed.

Slowly, Axel’s eyes opened and immediately gazed at him. However, his eyes soon wandered around the room and Lynus could feel a slight sense of panic in his aura. He tensed as he tried to pull at his hands, and Lynus made no attempt to prevent him from moving. Axel, thankfully, settled down upon his bed a moment later when he realised that he could move and uttered an almost inaudible sigh.

Turning his gaze back to Lynus, Axel wiggled a hand out from under the bedsheets and caressed the side of Lynus’ face with his hand, the touch tender and soft. “You’re ok? Is everyone all right?”

Lynus placed his hand atop of Axel’s and leaned into his palm, nuzzling it. “I’m fine. We all are. We’re back at the inn.”

Axel nodded his head, clearly relieved, as he gently rubbed his thumb against Lynus’ cheekbone. “I’m glad you’re ok.”

Unexpectedly, Lynus’ felt his comforting facade crumble and he dropped down to rest against Axel’s chest, his hands grasping at the material of his shirt tightly. “I could feel you,” he whispered. “I could feel you as you grew weaker and weaker. I could feel your pain. And there was nothing I could do about it. I was so scared. I thought…”

“Lynus…”

“Sorry, this isn’t about me,” Lynus said as he pushed away ever so slightly from Axel and hastily wiped the tears that lined his cheeks. “It’s about you. Are you ok? How are you feeling? Any dizziness?”

Axel responded by wrapping his arms around him and pulling him down onto his chest once more before rolling onto his side, taking Lynus with him so that he was lying next to him on the bed. “I couldn't reach you,” he whispered as he pressed his face into Lynus’ hair.

“That was the point,” Lynus replied as he made himself comfortable against Axel’s chest and wrapped his arms around him in return. “He knew you would tear that building to shreds to get to us, to get to me. He's...hah, he's a cheating asshole.”

Axel chuckled lowly against his hair.

Lynus tilted his head back slightly so that he could look at Axel, look into his blueish-green eyes. “But he didn't know how strong you truly are. That curse...those curses were designed to lessen the primal strength of monsters. Rumours say they can even dampen the power of dragons. But you withstood both of them.”

He then pushed forward to kiss Axel softly on the lips. “You're far stronger than you can possibly imagine.”

Axel’s arms tightened around him and he held him closer. “So are you.”

Lynus shifted slightly on the bed, wiggling up to that Axel’s head was resting against his chest and he gently ran his fingers through the short red strands of his hair. “Tomorrow, your guildmates will fuss over you. Let them. Let them show you how beloved you truly are. Let them show you what true love and companionship is.”

He felt Axel settle down, relaxing as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

“And you will show how strong you are by letting them see that they are much more than teammates,” Lynus continued, his voice falling to a whisper. “We’re family. And we’ll be together, safe and secure, no matter what.”

With that, Axel fell back to sleep, a small smile gracing his lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! And it’s a long one, too. This mini-series turned out a little longer and more intense than I had initially anticipated, but it was nevertheless interesting to write and I may just have to write more guys in distress that leads to fluff fics in the future. Hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think~

It was a few hours before dawn when Lynus awoke from a relatively restless sleep. He felt a smile tug at his lips though when he realised that he was still wrapped up in Axel’s strong arms. And thankfully his redhead was still asleep, though he too had a fitful sleep. Lynus had to gently lull him back to rest multiple times through the night.

He wasn’t complaining, mind you, he honestly enjoyed being the one to offer Axel comfort like he had always done for him. He just…wished for a different reason why Axel needed him to gently run his fingers through his hair and lull him back to peacefulness.

The physical effects of those curses had dissipated, but the mental scaring was likely to linger for a while longer. But Axel was strong in both mind and body. He’ll be fine. Everyone would make sure of it.

Idly curling a strand of Axel’s hair around his finger, Lynus glanced over at the table where Lirit had delivered food earlier. It might be a little stale now, but should still be eatable. Should he try to pull Axel from his now peaceful sleep to get him to eat something or leave him be for a little while longer?

The sound of feet shuffling just outside of their room turned Lynus’ attention to the door. He immediately knew who was on the other side as he could sense them. And he couldn’t even pretend to be surprised. Jhon and Tobyn. Together, unwilling to be separated, and outside of the room because they were both worried about Axel. Jhon most likely confessed to Tobyn what kind of state Axel was in when they found him, no doubt startling the survivalist immensely.

Lynus glanced down at Axel who was lying on his side, his face pressed against Lynus’ chest. He appeared to be sleeping soundly for now. And, well, it was his turn. His turn to be fussed over by everyone. His turn to be showered in love.

He leaned down to press a soft kiss to Axel’s lips, his own forming into a smile when Axel immediately pressed back. He pulled back and ran his fingers through his hair for a lingering moment before he reluctantly disentangled himself from Axel’s arms and carefully climbed off the bed, cautious not to awaken him and startle him.

Quietly, he opened the door and found Jhon and Tobyn standing right on the other side, their hands linked together in an obvious attempt to ensure that the other didn’t stray too far. The two blonds jumped slightly and whirled around to face him, genuine expressions of concerns on their faces.

“How is he?” Jhon was the one to ask, his concern obvious.

“The curses are no longer affecting him,” Lynus answered honestly and to the point. “Now he’s just exhausted, as you can imagine. But after a few days rest and nurturing, he will be back to full strength in now time.”

Both Jhon and Tobyn looked utterly relieved by the news, Tobyn’s shoulders dropping their tension while Jhon released a quiet sigh. “Thank goodness,” he murmured, his hand tightening around Tobyn’s.

Lynus smiled at the blond-haired protector before indicating toward his room with a tilt of his head. “He’s still sleeping, but I hate to leave him alone. Could you watch him for me for a bit?”

“Yes, of course,” Jhon immediately replied and Lynus could hear a small sense of relief in his voice.

Lynus simply nodded his head and took a step to the side, watching as Jhon entered his room and left the door ajar behind him. He wasn’t greedy or selfish. He knew that the others were very worried for Axel. And Axel and Jhon were such good friends, so it frightened the daylights out of Jhon to see him so…vulnerable.

“I’ll…keep watch,” Tobyn said to him as he rested his back against the wall next to the partly open door, where he could just tilt his head to the side to look inside. “I’ll probably wake him with my pacing anyway.”

Lynus reached out to gently pat him on the arm. “Keep an eye on both of them for me,” he said with a small smile. “I won’t be long.”

Though it went against his instinct and nature, Lynus turned and walked away. All he really wanted to do was to stay with Axel and shower him with nurturing and attention. But the others needed a chance to also smother him, and they didn’t need him hovering over their shoulders the entire time.

He wanted and needed to check up on the others anyway and they would definitely want to know how Axel was faring. Only when he told them the truth, that he was recovering smoothly, can they themselves begin to finally relax.

The first room he found his way to was the one that Lirit and Rahas shared. He hoped that the dark hunter was inside and hadn’t snuck off to brood somewhere. Somewhere away from the guild. Lynus had no doubt that Lirit’s words hit Rahas hard. Despite his sullen and indifferent air he had about him, he blamed himself for many things, things he had absolutely no control over. No doubt he was internally beating himself up, telling himself that Lirit was right, that had he been there with them at the time, he could have miraculously prevented it from happening.

The truth was that wasn’t possible. If Rahas had been there with them, he would have been captured too. And becoming a hostage for another deranged man for a second time, Lynus hadn’t a clue how he would have reacted. Could they have gotten to Axel sooner? Probably not.

Lynus shook his head slightly to clear his mind as he stopped in front of Rahas and Lirit’s room. He lifted his hand and knocked lightly and waited. But there didn’t seem to be any reply. He couldn’t say he was surprised. Chances were Lirit was cuddling up with Macerio to keep him from stressing out and panicking, while Rahas had either escaped through the window or was hiding in his bed, refusing to answer the door.

Placing his hand on the handle, he closed his eyes and concentrated, but could sense no one on the other side. The room was empty.

He sighed and turned away from the door. He took a couple of steps back before he raised his hand to his temple and closed his eyes once more. Despite the inn being full, as per usual, he was able to sense the presences of his guildmates. Lirit was with Macerio in the room he shared with Hamza, while their leader was situated in the tearoom. Magnus was with Shen in their room and…Rahas was still inside the inn.

Thank goodness.

Dropping his hand to his side and opening his eyes, Lynus turned in the direction of Magnus and Shen’s room. He knew that Magnus was safe and protected with Shen, but he wanted to check up on the gentle blond. What he had endured during his time in Darkshire Manor was likely to cause him anxiety, jumping at shadows once more.

But he had also been very brave. He was the one who carved a way to meet with Shen and Hamza in the foyer of the manor. He was the one who prevented any of those mindless followers from harming his guildmates.

Everyone who had been involved had been very brave. No one panicked, no one allowed their fear to take control. No surprise, really. They were veteran explorers of the labyrinth, after all.

Reaching the door to Magnus and Shen’s room, Lynus placed his hand on the handle and softly turned, somewhat surprised to find it unlocked. He opened the door enough to peek inside and what he saw brought a smile to his lips.

Shen was sitting on his bed with his back against the wall, and with Magnus curled up against his chest, his head nuzzled under his chin. Shen’s arms were wrapped tightly around the slender alchemist, keeping him as close to him as possible. And it appeared that Shen wasn’t going to be letting him go anytime soon. Not that the blond-haired alchemist would mind. He looked more than comfortable and safe in Shen’s arms, sleeping peacefully. He wouldn’t want to go anywhere.

Shen suddenly opened an eye and peered over at him, making no attempt to move from his position.

Lynus raised a finger to his lips and whispered to him. “He’ll be fine. We all are.”

Shen nodded his head slightly, still not budging as he began to idly run his fingers through Magnus’ hair. He then turned his attention back to Magnus and closed his eyes as he rested his cheek amongst Magnus’ blond hair.

So Lynus quietly closed the door with a smile on his lips. He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly, his smile not faltering for a moment when he realised that Shen was going to be even more protective and possessive of Magnus now. And while Magnus initially wouldn’t realise it, he would adore the attention nevertheless.

Lynus’ next destination had been to check up on Macerio and Lirit when a sudden spike of intense unease suddenly fell over him. A frown immediately formed on his lips as he idly rubbed at his chest with his hand. That unease…wasn’t his. He didn’t really understand it, but someone else was feeling out of sorts and he was, in turn, feeling it from them. It…wasn’t Axel, though.

It was Hamza.

Lynus quickly made his way to the tearoom and stopped just outside the door.

Hamza was standing in the middle of the room and was looking at the window that had been hastily boarded up. He was probably wondering what types of materials would be needed to fix it. Or perhaps he was wondering how in the world anyone was able to throw in a glass of sleeping gas and essentially capture six of his guild members.

Probably the latter as Hamza suddenly sighed aloud and moved toward a chair located near the fireplace before ha abruptly sat down and leaned forward to hold his head in his hands.

…He was blaming himself, too.

Lynus felt the instinct to move and try to offer the man some comfort, but a hand on his shoulder pulled him to a stop. Startled, he glanced over his shoulder to see Cedric standing there with a half-smile on his lips. Silently, he lifted a finger to his lips before he removed his hand from Lynus’ shoulder and walked into the tearoom and straight over to Hamza.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Cedric said as he paused in front of Hamza and placed his hands on his shoulders, rubbing small, comforting circles.

Hamza lifted his head from his hands to peer up at Cedric, unaware that Lynus was lingering near the doorway. “To think I could have lost them not within the labyrinth, but to the mind of a psychopath,” he murmured.

“But you didn’t,” Cedric immediately replied as he took a step forward to stand between Hamza’s knees as he ran a hand through his hair, the other slipping to the back of his neck to tug him forward and press his face into his chest. “They are a resilient bunch, that lot. And can work together well, under any circumstance.”

Hamza sighed as he reached up and wound his arms around Cedric’s waist, pulling the silver-haired troubadour closer. “That’s…one way of looking at it,” he said as he buried his face into Cedric’s chest.

Lynus quietly closed the door to the tearoom to give them their privacy before he turned to go in search of the others. Rahas was close by. It would be best to speak to him now before he allowed for any more stray and unnecessary thoughts to roam through his head.

Entering a quiet room at the back of the inn, Lynus felt a frown tug on his lips when his laid eyes on the flighty dark hunter.

Rahas was sitting in the shady, quiet corner of the room as he stared aimlessly out the window. He wasn’t alone, thankfully. Chi-hung was there with him, curled up around him with his head on the dark hunter’s lap. And Rahas was idly running his fingers through Chi-hung’s fur and occasionally rubbing one of his ears as he leaned back against him.

Lynus approached them slowly as not to startle them. “Can I join you for a moment?”

Rahas glanced up at him for a moment before turning his gaze back to the window. “Sure,” he said after a short silence.

Lynus smiled as he lowered himself to the floor next to Chi-hung and rested against his back, the white tiger taking his weight without a hint of protest. “Lirit feels terrible about what he said.”

“I know,” Rahas muttered as he kept his gaze toward the window where the sky was slowly turning from night to day. “He was right.”

“Rahas…”

“I’m not…used to it, ok?” Rahas suddenly said with a tone of bitterness. “Acceptance. I’ve always had to do the fighting on my own. I don’t know how to act with a group. You know that.”

Lynus shook his head slightly as Chi-hung made a huffing sound, practically scoffing at the dark hunter. “When you’re in the labyrinth, when you’re fighting, you are a team player, Rahas. I’ve seen it. The others have seen it. They trust you to have their backs. And you, deep down, know that you can trust them, too.” He pressed his lips together for a moment before adding. “Even Axel.”

Rahas visibly twitched, but chose not to verbally respond.

“What had happened was something no one could have predicted,” Lynus continued. “And if you had been there with us at that time, you would have been captured as well. And I’m glad you weren’t. You were needed outside, with Hamza and Shen to raise hell for us on the inside. If you had not turned up when you did, things may have turned out differently.”

Rahas was silent as he continued to look forward, idly rubbing one of Chi-hung’s ears with his fingers. “Maybe…” he muttered.

Lynus reached out to place a hand on Rahas’ shoulder, pleased to notice that he didn’t wince upon contact. “You are a part of this guild. And while I won’t ask that you immediately become friends with everyone, I do hope that you’ll at least get used to their presence. Macerio adores you and I think you’d get along well with Magnus. And, please, try to get along with Axel. He’s…everything to me. There shouldn’t be a need to choose.”

Again, Rahas was silent for the longest moment. “I can’t promise anything,” he finally said.

It was a start, though.

“You’ve come so far, so please don’t stop now,” Lynus said as he removed his hand from Rahas’ shoulder to instead ruffle his hair slightly, pulling back the strands that were covering his eye. “I’m still very proud of you.”

Rahas snorted aloud as he brushed aside his hand, quickly raking his fingers through his hair to cover his eye again. Lynus chuckled softly and he moved to stand up. He was about to ask the dark hunter whether or not he had anything to eat since they had returned when Rahas asked him a surprising question.

“…How is he?”

“Recovering,” Lynus answered with a smile. “The curses have been lifted. He’s going to be fine.”

Rahas simply nodded his head. “Ok.”

That question…That response…Hm. Everything was going to be ok.

… … … … …

Axel awoke with a start, lifting his head up off the pillow as he bleary peered around the room. He first thought he saw shadows creeping about from the corners of his eyes, but as his eyes focused, he immediately realised that he was in a familiar room. One that was warm. And that he was lying on something soft and comfortable.

…Right. He was back at the inn.

“Axel?”

Axel rolled over onto his back, his brow furrowing slightly when he realised that he was alone in the bed and that Jhon was the one crouched near him, looking at him in concern. “Jhon?” he muttered with a hoarse voice. “What happened? Where’s-?”

“Easy,” Jhon said with an understanding smile and indicated in the direction of the door with a tilt of his head. “Lynus is just outside with Tobyn. They’ve been keeping everyone away so that you could get some rest.”

Axel uttered a sigh as he nodded his head and forced himself to relax. He found himself clenching and unclenching his fists, though, as he pulled them above the blankets. His head ached a little, most likely a stress headache. He was…just glad that he could move his arms. Having them restrained like that…

No, he didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to remember it. It was done and dusted. And it won’t happen again.

“You all right?” Axel asked as he forced himself to sit up in bed.

“Completely fine,” Jhon answered quickly, but seemingly honestly. “You’re honestly the one causing us the most concern.”

While he felt a sense of guilt for worrying everyone, he did feel relieved that it was him that suffered the most. That meant that the others were fine.

He laid back down in bed for a moment and draped an arm over his eyes. It was…all so surreal. It was hard to fathom what had happened. What he had to endure. It…didn’t seem real, like it was a strange nightmare. He had never felt so tired, so weak before. There were no words that could describe how vulnerable he felt.

And…Lionel…was he really related to him? Had he been there the entire time, for a hundred years? His spirit tortured there, watching, waiting for that bastard to find another victim, someone who could be a vessel for his soul?

He…couldn’t imagine the pain he had gone through. How he hadn’t gone mad from hatred and the need for revenge was a testament to his character. He did what needed to be done. In order to protect everyone, to save his life, Ronaldo had to be stopped. As quickly as possible. Taking the life of another was never ideal, but in this case it was truly the only way.

Axel found himself gritting his teeth in frustration. Because Lionel had to be the one to ensure that that bastard never returned, the one who had truly suffered the most. The way Ronaldo wailed at him, surprised by his actions was nauseating. He had expected Lionel to side with him, to embrace him, to be happy with all the terrible things he had done. That type of self-entitled mentality…it was truly sicking.

But…was he gone for good now? Axel didn’t have a full understanding of hexers, but if they had to die to be born, then could they also return? Could Ronaldo find his way to another body, or was he gone for good?

And…was Lionel finally at peace, with his brother?

He may never truly know the answer to any of those questions. And that was frustrating.

“What time is it?” Axel asked as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, trying to take his mind off what he had learnt, but he had to endure.

“About seven in the morning,” Jhon answered.

He did still feel tired, but honestly, he was done resting. He needed to move. To get up and walk around, something he felt he hadn’t done for days. Weeks even. He just…needed to move, that was all.

As Axel sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed Jhon offered him his hand and Axel took it, allowing for the blond protector to help him to his feet. Axel then tightened his grip on Jhon’s hand as he suddenly tugged the other toward him as he wrapped his other arm around his shoulders in a hug. He was relieved that he was ok. That bastard had made several references toward Jhon and he was worried that he may have been cursed, too. But thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case.

Being cursed like that…No; he won’t let anyone else suffer through that.

“Thanks for having my back.”

Jhon was slightly startled at first before he relaxed and hugged him back, his chin resting on his shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re ok. We’d be lost without you.”

If they lost anyone, the guild would never be the same. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Come,” Jhon said as he pulled back and clasped Axel by the shoulder. “The others would want to see you.”

Axel nodded his head and turned to the door of his room, finding it partly open. He didn’t bother to get too dressed up, choosing to simply wear the clothes he wore to bed. He was sure no one would care too much if he walked around the inn in casual clothes.

Pushing open the door, he found Lynus and Tobyn just on the other side. They immediately paused in their conversation and turned toward him. Tobyn looked momentarily surprised, but that was soon replaced with an expression of subtle relief. Lynus, however, smiled and immediately stepped in front of him.

Lynus framed Axel’s face with his hands as he leaned up on his toes to kiss him on the lips. Axel immediately wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close. It always calmed and reassured him whenever he felt Lynus next to him, in his arms.

“How are you feeling?” Lynus asked him when he pulled back. “Aches and pains? Any dizziness?”

Axel shook his head. “Only a slight headache.”

Lynus immediately reached up to place his fingertips against his temples and uttered a refresh spell. The effects of the gentle warmth of his healing spell were immediate, clearing the low thumping in his head.

“The others want to see you,” Lynus said as he lowered his hands to rest against his chest and a soft smile spread across his lips. “They’ve been worried.”

“Axel!”

Before Axel had the chance to respond to Lynus, Macerio’s voice calling his name caused him to look up from his tangerine head, who in turned chuckled knowingly, and he looked down the stairs to see that many of his guildmates had gathered. Including Cedric, standing by Hamza’s side. And they were looking expectantly up at him.

But for Axel, he was just glad that they were all ok.

“Your turn,” Lynus said cryptically as he ushered him to the stairs.

Axel wasn’t sure what he meant, but he walked down the stairs. And when he reached the bottom step, he was abruptly set upon by Macerio, the brown-haired gunner actually lunging forward to hug him around the waist and to press his face against his chest. He was surprised for a moment before a slight frown tugged on his lips.

Macerio…must have been so scared during that experience. He must have been separated from the others, restrained in some manner. And maybe even led to believe that he was alone. Macerio couldn’t be left alone. Not even for a minute.

So Axel wordlessly hugged him back, letting him cling to him for a few moments while no one else said a thing.

After a short while, Lirit stepped forward and placed his hands on Macerio’s back. “We’re both so relieved you’re all right,” he said as Macerio let Lirit gently pull him away from him, the gunner refusing to look up and meet his gaze.

Axel simply nodded his head, not knowing what else to say. He couldn’t exactly apologise for worrying them, could he? It wasn’t like he waltzed into the situation in the first place.

He was pulled from his musings when he felt a slight tug on his arm. He immediately turned to find Magnus pinching the elbow of his shirt between his thumb and forefinger, looking up at him with wide, bright blue eyes.

“Y-you’re really all right, right?” he asked him.

Axel reached out to place a hand on top of Magnus’ head, prompting to blond to peer up at him, making no attempt to dislodge his hand. “Yeah, I’m all right. Thank you for protecting everyone,” he said with a smile.

Magnus’ bottom lip trembled a bit and he squeezed his eyes shut at he nodded his head. He suddenly, and honestly surprisingly, lurched forward and pressed his face into Axel’s chest as he arms wrapped around his waist, much like Macerio had done.

And once again, Axel took a half step back, honestly surprised as he stared down at the mop of blond hair. However, he smiled softly when he realised that Magnus was hugging him out of relief. He chose not to say anything, instead returning the hug by placing an arm around Magnus’ shoulders as the other patted his head.

“Hey, Shen,” Axel said as the black haired ronin approached them. “Heard you made one hell of an entrance.”

A half-smirk unexpectedly, yet not really, appeared on his lips as he reached out to gently pull Magnus towards him. “I was actually quite calm,” he said as Magnus released his hug on Axel to immediately turn and bury his face into Shen’s chest instead. “There wouldn’t have been anything left if I lost my temper.”

Axel felt a smile of genuine amusement spread across his lips. “Right, right.” He was pretty sure that the reason he hadn’t lost his temper was because he wasn’t sure where Magnus was and didn’t want to risk accidentally harming him or causing another to harm him in retaliation.

After they had been reunited, Shen would have really gone to town on the place.

A movement from the corner of his eye caused Axel to wince slightly in anticipation and turn to look. He felt himself relax slightly when two figures appeared from the back of the inn.

It was Rahas and Chi-hung.

Axel was a little surprised to see that the dark hunter was still hanging around, but it was probably because of Lynus. He wouldn’t be there for him, surely.

Perking up, Chi-hung came bounding over to him before pushing up onto his back haunches and placed his two front paws on Axel’s shoulders where he proceeded to nuzzle his head against Axel’s, purring the entire time.

Axel took a half step back in surprise yet again and uttered a laugh of amusement. “Whoa, easy,” he said as he reached up to place one hand on Chi-hung’s shoulder blades while the other scratched the back of his neck. “I’m glad to see you, too.”

His eyes then soften and when Chi-hung pulled his back, he pressed his forehead against the top of the white-tiger’s head. “Thank you for finding us so quickly. I knew you would.”

Chi-hung uttered a soft sound, like a mix between a purr and a growl before he nuzzled his head against Axel’s once more and pulled away, dropping down onto all fours. He proceeded to circle him, though, no doubt becoming quite protective of him now.

It was…an odd feeling, to be honest. Being protected. Axel had always been the protective one. He was the one who looked after his guildmates and took care of any harassers or those who meant his guildmates harm. He had…never been on the receiving end before.

And, honestly? He was going to be even more protective of the others now.

Still…it was nice to be the one protected for once. He always knew that he could rely on his guildmates, his family. He always knew that they were strong, able to handle any situation. He just didn’t realise how much so. It was given that he would bend over backwards for Lynus and the others. But to see how much his family would go through for him was humbling. And it made him appreciate them all the more.

He was lucky to have such an amazing family.

“Axel,” Hamza said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

Axel gave him a half smile. “Honestly? I’m starving.”

An expression of relief soon appeared on Hamza’s face and he smiled. “Good, because Matron has planned quite the breakfast for us all. Shall we move to the dining room, then?”

As the others either nodded or made sounds of agreement and turn in the direction of the dining hall, Lynus walked over to Axel and pressed himself against his side before pushing up onto his toes and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Doesn’t hurt to be fussed over once in a while, does it?” he said to him.

“Hm,” was all Axel could say as he wrapped an arm around Lynus’ waist as he followed his family to the dining room.

He had to admit that he was honestly surprised to see that Rahas was still lingering around in the background. He even followed them, and ultimately him, into the dining room. And he didn’t leave when Lynus slipped out to grab something. No one appeared to be keeping him there, even as Macerio flittered between him and Lirit.

When Axel turned to look at him again, he managed to catch the dark hunter’s gaze because…he had been looking over at him as well. He had to admit, he was somewhat surprised to realise that there didn’t appear to be resentment in his gaze.

Before Axel’s gaze was turned away when Lynus asked him something, Rahas seemed to…nod at him. He didn’t glare at him, simply…nodded his head. Almost as if he was trying to convey something to him. Something like; “it’s good you’re ok”.

Axel wasn’t entirely sure what that simple nod meant, but maybe…

Maybe they were guildmates after all.

Heh. Well, he’d just have to wait and see.


End file.
